Colombian Coffee Research Articles

Transformation of Colombian small coffee growers and new scenarios for their competitiveness

Transformation of Colombian small coffee growers and new scenarios for their competitiveness

Improving Rural Early Warning Systems through the Integration of OpenBTS and jain slee

Nowadays exists a trend that combines the features of Web 2.0 services and telecommunications services known as Telco 2.0. These converged services have been successfully implemented in early warning systems providing improved agility and flexibility in service delivery. However the deployment of converged services in rural zones of developing countries presents several constraints which do not allow to provide this kind of services, as the unavailability of a Next Generation Network (ngn), absence of advanced technology and lack of investment resources. This paper proposes a jain slee and OpenBTS integration architecture for early warning systems in rural zones. The implemented prototype is evaluated with a specific case study involving the deployment of Telco 2.0 warnings in Colombian coffee plantations which may be affected by coffee rust, one of the most threatening diseases in coffee production.

Calidad de vida relacionada con la salud en pacientes con diálisis peritoneal continua ambulatoria. Eje cafetero colombiano 2015

Introducción. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) en pacientes con diálisis peritoneal continua ambulatoria (DPCA), en tres unidades renales del eje cafetero de Colombia, en 2015. Método. La metodología de este trabajo está sustentada en un diseño descriptivo transversal. Participaron voluntariamente 185 personas del Programa de DPCA. Se aplicó encuesta y cuestionario SF-36, [Alfa de Cronbach >0,7] y análisis binominal y multinominal. En escalas de 0 a 100 puntos de peor a mejor CVRS, se calculó medias por dimensión. Se utilizó el software SPSS-v21.Resultados. Población con alta vulnerabilidad socioeconómica. Comorbilidad con hipertensión y diabetes. Percepción de mejor CVRS en dolor corporal (Me=87,2) y función social, (Me=76,8). Peor CVRS en Rol físico (Me=52,1) y Rol emocional (Me= 57,3). Sin diferencias por género, la CVRS empeora con la edad.Conclusión. El cuidado de pacientes con DPCA requiere más investigación por enfermería. Intervenciones y evaluaciones de seguimiento en autocuidado domiciliario y apoyo social en roles físico y emocional. Se deben controlar eventos precursores de ERC.

Study of the Pigments in Colombian Powdered Coffee Using Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

Biological pigments are chemical compounds that absorb light in the wavelength range of the visible region. They are present in all living organisms, vegetables being among their main producers. In this work, the photoacoustic spectroscopy technique was used to investigate some qualitative features related to pigments of ground and roasted coffee. The samples were collected at several Colombian commercial markets from different regions. Colombian coffee is known worldwide for its quality and flavor, being the main agricultural export product of the country. Therefore, it is important to study the composition and color of ground and roasted coffee in order to show quality and special characteristics of local varieties. Studying the content of pigments after roasting and grinding the coffee can allow a better understanding of the coloring process, which can lead to the definition of new criteria for evaluating the quality and other characteristics of the final product by comparing the optical spectra. In this work, the optical absorption spectra obtained by photoacoustic spectroscopy show absorption bands that match those of the pigments capsanthin, lutein and chlorophyll. In addition, an absorption peak in the near-infrared region was revealed, which also provides information regarding the composition of roasted and ground coffee.

Aportes teórico-conceptuales acerca del cambio organizacional de la industria cafetera colombiana

The transformation of the coffee sector can be analysed under the perspective of change in organisational fields that enables failures that generate destabilisation to be signalled and anticipated. This article analyses the way how change is developed in the organisational fields by institutional entrepreneurship in the case of the Colombian coffee industry from a theoretical-conceptual perspective. To do this, a review was carried out on the academic literature at four levels: organisational field, organisational change in organisational fields, institutional entrepreneurship, organisational change from institutional entrepreneurship. A strong relationship is found between several of the elements pointed out in the literature that describe organisational change from institutional entrepreneurship and the change in the Colombian coffee sector.

Energy, water vapor and carbon fluxes in Andean agroecosystems: conceptualization and methodological standardization

This paper presents the conceptualization, methodological adjustment and experimental application of the micrometeorological technique eddy covariance - EC, to measure energy, water vapor and CO2 fluxes in two coffee agroecosystems: the first under full sunlight, and the second under shade, both with equatorial Andean hillslope conditions. With a footprint and fetch calculation, the required distance from the edge of the field in the prevailing wind direction to the EC tower is three times higher under shade than full sun. The shaded agroecosystem reached maximum average carbon fixation rates of 21.26 ± 2.469 μmolCO2.m-2s-1 ( = 0.05) (61% higher than under 100% sunlight) which gives a high carbon sink capacity to the association of coffee plants with shading Pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan L). The average evapotranspiration rate was 2.33 ± 0.0102 mm.d-1 ( = 0.05) and 2.08 ± 0.00732 mm.d-1 under shade and 100% sunlight, respectively. The proportion of net radiation that reached the soil was 2% under shade and 4% under 100% sunlight. Likewise, the soil energy loss during the night was lower under shade, indicating less day-night temperature range in the latter agroecosystem. The methodological adjustment and the results of this first work using EC in Colombian coffee plantations, contribute to the development of reliable research regarding gas and energy exchanges between the atmosphere and ecosystems in conditions of the equatorial Andean hillslope.

Evaluation of the antioxidant capacity, furan compounds and cytoprotective/cytotoxic effects upon Caco-2 cells of commercial Colombian coffee.

Antioxidant capacity (AC), total phenolics (TPs), furan compounds (HMF and furfural F) and cytoprotective/cytotoxic effects upon Caco-2 cells (MTT, cell cycle and reactive oxygen species (ROS)) were evaluated in Colombian coffee (2 ground and 4 soluble samples). The AC (ABTS and FRAP), TPs and HMF ranged between 124-722, 95-802μmoles Trolox/g, 21-100mg gallic acid/g and 69-2900mg/kg, respectively. Pretreatment of cells for 24h with lyophilized coffee infusions at the highest dose without cytotoxic effects (500μg/mL) significantly prevented the decrease in cell viability compared to control stress with H2O2 (5mM/2h), recovering viability to values between 34% and 45% and restoring the control values without stress induction in the G1 phase of cell cycle. After exposure to stress, four extracts decreased ROS values significantly to 22.5-24.9%. The coffee samples exerted a cytoprotective effect against oxidative stress, with improvement in cell viability and a reduction of intracellular ROS.

Production of Biodiesel from Vietnamese Waste Coffee Beans: Biofuel Yield, Saturation and Stability are All Elevated Compared with Conventional Coffee Biodiesel

The suitability of biodiesel produced from spent Vietnamese coffee was examined. Previous work shows that the geographical origin of coffee beans has little effect on the composition and physical properties of the biodiesel produced Jenkins et al. [1]. Vietnamese coffee, however, is roasted in a range of fats and oils for flavour enhancement and therefore has a unique fatty acid profile. The oil yield and biodiesel properties of three Vietnamese coffees were assessed and compared to a coffee of more typical composition—Colombian—and traditional biodiesel feedstocks (rapeseed, sunflower and palm). The oil yield from fresh Vietnamese coffee was higher (12.0–14.0 %) than Colombian coffee (9.3 %), while the oil yield from spent Vietnamese coffee (9.3–10.4 %) was comparable to the Colombian coffee (9.5 %). The unsaponifiable matter was only present in low levels in the Vietnamese coffee (1.9–4.9 %) compared to Colombian coffee (30.4 % fresh, 21.4 % spent). Vietnamese coffee biodiesel was more saturated than Columbian coffee biodiesel. It was therefore more viscous and had a higher pour point than the Colombian coffee, and possessed properties more akin to palm biodiesel. Vietnamese coffee biodiesel would therefore be a suitable feedstock for use locally due to the more suitable climate and compatibility with the palm feedstock that is currently used. Spent coffee grounds from Vietnam is demonstrated to be a suitable source of biodiesel

Prácticas de recursos humanos y gestión del conocimiento en las organizaciones: una mirada desde las dimensiones del trabajador del conocimiento

Objetivos: determinar la relación entre la Dirección de Recursos Humanos y la Gestión del Conocimiento en la Organización y proporcionar evidencia empírica sobre la incidencia de las prácticas de recursos humanos en la gestión del conocimiento organizativo.Metodología: se realizó un estudio con un enfoque empírico-analítico que contempló la comparación entre grupos de investigación de las universidades del Eje Cafetero colombiano que se encuentran escalafonados en Colciencias. Se efectuó un análisis clúster y se estableció una estimación a los modelos de regresión para encontrar relaciones e influencias entre las variables consideradas. Resultados: se pudo establecer que las prácticas de recursos humanos que fomentan la autonomía, la creatividad e innovación, la interacción social y la flexibilidad, como dimensiones esenciales del trabajador del conocimiento, inciden positivamente en la gestión del conocimiento en las organizaciones y, salvo en el caso de la flexibilidad, lo hacen fuertemente.Conclusiones: al identificar y establecer la naturaleza y características del trabajador del conocimiento, la Dirección de Recursos Humanos puede diseñar e implementar prácticas que fomenten sus dimensiones esenciales, lo cual es necesario y altamente conveniente para alcanzar mejores resultados en la adquisición, difusión y aplicación de conocimiento.

Marketing as a Means to Transformative Social Conflict Resolution: Lessons from Transitioning War Economies and the Colombian Coffee Marketing System

Social conflicts are ubiquitous to the human condition and occur throughout markets, marketing processes, and marketing systems. When unchecked or unmitigated, social conflict can have devastating consequences for consumers, marketers, and societies, especially when conflict escalates to war. In this article, the authors offer a systemic analysis of the Colombian war economy, with its conflicted shadow and coping markets, to show how a growing network of fair-trade coffee actors has played a key role in transitioning the country's war economy into a peace economy. They particularly draw attention to the sources of conflict in this market and highlight four transition mechanisms—empowerment, communication, community building, and regulation—through which marketers can contribute to peacemaking and thus produce mutually beneficial outcomes for consumers and society. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for marketing theory, practice, and public policy.

Iniciación sexual y construcción del deseo en varones con prácticas homoeróticas en el eje cafetero colombiano

Este artículo presenta un acercamiento a la iniciación sexual entre varones con prácticas homoeróticas en el Eje Cafetero colombiano. La revisión de literatura evidencia el predominio de una mirada epidemiológica asociada al VIH/SIDA en los estudios sobre sexualidad juvenil. La investigación fue llevada a cabo en el año 2012, a través de una encuesta biográfica a 401 hombres, en las ciudades de Manizales, Pereira, Armenia y Cartago. Los hallazgos detallan la construcción del deseo y la primera experiencia sexual, sus contextos de ocurrencia y una relación entre prácticas sexuales y diferencias de edad con la pareja. Como conclusión puede advertirse que la construcción del deseo y las prácticas sexuales conjugan de manera problemática los campos del homoerotismo y heterosexualidad.

Variabilidad espacial y temporal de la temperatura del aire en la zona cafetera colombiana

AbstractThe Colombian coffee zone is located entirely in the northern hemisphere, between 1 and 11 degrees of latitude, in the Andean mountains. This condition (equatorial) has led people to think that the temporal variation of air temperature is minimal and that the greater variability of this element is given in the spatial scale, almost exclusively attributable to changes in altitude. By using descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and linear regression, we explore alternate sources of variation in the air temperature, showing how, also the altitude there are other variation sources. We found that the altitude is a main modulator of the air temperature; however, the effect depends on the latitude. The lowest weather station (903 meters above sea level and at 8°N) does not have the highest air temperatures. The hottest station is at 1 026 meters above sea level but nearest the equator (0°N), showing a latitudinal effect when the latitude is greater than 7°. This effect is greater for minimum temperatures than for maximum. The Inter-Tropical Confluence Zone (ITCZ) can modulate the air temperature. In most of the stations located between 2 and 7°N, the air temperature gets maximum values when the ITZC is in its extreme North and South positions. It means, between December and January and between July and September, maximum temperatures tend to be higher than in any other month. Minimum temperatures are not affected by ITCZ as much as maximum temperatures are, indicating that this variable is impacted by the day-night cycle more than for the ITCZ. El Niño Southern Oscillation affects the air temperature in the coffee zone. During “El Niño“, the air temperature increases, while it decreases during “La Niña“ events. However, there is a higher relation between maximum air temperatures and ENSO than between this phenomenon and the minimum air temperatures. The effect of this phenomenon on the air temperature is higher during the first semester of the year, specifically between January and March. On the other hand, there is evidence to think that the air temperature is changing in the analyzed stations. For example, 47% of the analyzed stations exhibit changes (trends) in maximum air temperature values. Most of the trends are positive (air temperature increasing), but there are some places where the values have been decreasing. However, 84% of the analyzed minimum air temperature series have significative trends. Most of the locations have been seeing increasing air temperature values over the last decades.

Semivolatile and Volatile Compound Evolution during Pyrolysis and Combustion of Colombian Coffee Husk

Thermal characterization of coffee husk (Coffea arabica) from Colombian coffee has been studied. Different products, mostly volatile and semivolatile compounds, were analyzed, paying special attention to 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) as priority pollutants, frequently used for checking toxicity in environmental samples. A fixed amount of raw material was exposed to different excess air ratios (λ = 0–2.33) and nominal temperature of 1123 K in a horizontal quartz reactor. The results show that coffee husk is a promising biomass for energetic exploitation with reduced formation of PAHs in a low air excess ratio. This implies reduction of carcinogenic potential in the limited presence of oxygen, demonstrated by calculating the carcinogenic potential (KE) for each experimental condition. Most volatile and semivolatile compounds followed different trends, with the oxygen presence prevailing their decomposition with increasin...

Hacienda Flandes: the ups and downs of a Colombian coffee farm

Subject area Strategic Planning for family businesses. Study level/applicability MBA family businesses courses and/or executive education courses that focus on family businesses. The case can be used in introductory sessions related to family business strategy. Case overview This case tells the story of two generations of coffee plant growers at Hacienda Flandes in Colombia’s coffee region. It describes external and internal factors that affected the family business from 1970 to 2013. The case presents antecedents and consequences of environmental circumstances and family members’ decisions that drive this business from boom to decline and later on to its potential reinvention. Through an analysis of this family-owned coffee plantation across generations, students are expected to understand the importance of strategic planning in family businesses, in a changing and competitive environment. Family businesses in emerging economies are the most common type of businesses. In Latin America, most of family businesses might be younger than those in Europe and even in North America. Therefore, family businesses in these economies can be going through or will soon go through a succession. Succession success rate is low, regardless of the culture or country in which the family business develops. This case deals with the preparation (or lack of preparation) of the next generation in family businesses management and its consequences and helps students suggest alternatives and better decisions to run family businesses in an emerging economy. Expected learning outcomes Students will be able to know and explain the concept of a family business as a dynamic system: firm, family and individuals, each one with actions and outcomes; analyze opportunities for and threats to family businesses across generations; and formulate strategies that balance business and family demands. Supplementary materials The teaching note has specific reading materials to support class discussion.

Evaluation of antioxidant capacity in coffees marketed in Colombia: Relationship with the extent of non-enzymatic browning

Fifty-eight samples of commercial Colombian coffee with different characteristics (soluble, ground, decaffeinated, etc) were evaluated for antioxidant capacity (AC) (ABTS and FRAP), total soluble phenolics (TP), browning index (BI), color parameters (L∗, a∗, b∗, c∗ and h∗), HMF and furfural. The AC in Colombian coffees was very varied (164–1000, 100.8–885.9μmol of Trolox equiv/g and 12.5–127mg gallic acid equiv/g, respectively for ABTS, FRAP and TP). AC, TP, BI, color, HMF and furfural values were higher (p<0.05) in soluble coffees than in ground ones, showing the lyophilized samples which showed the highest average values. Significant lineal correlations (p<0.05) were found between AC and color parameters, BI, HMF. No significant (p<0.05) differences in the AC between the different types of coffee were found. This work confirms the direct relationship between the rate of non-enzymatic browning and antioxidant capacity.

Study of the fatty acid profile and the aroma composition of oil obtained from roasted Colombian coffee beans by supercritical fluid extraction

In the present work, the extraction of oil from roasted coffee beans using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) under different conditions of pressure (15–30MPa) and temperature (40–60°C) was studied. A central composite experimental design was employed in order to establish the effect of these parameters on the yield and fatty acids composition that was determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The aroma was analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The optimum oil yield was 8.9%, obtained at 33.1MPa and 35.9°C. The main fatty acids identified were palmitic (46.1%), linoleic (32.9%), oleic (8.0%), stearic (6.6%) and arachidic (1.9%). The volatile compounds of the coffee oil belong mainly to the family of furans and pyrazines, which maintain the particular features of the roasted coffee. This fact makes the coffee oil attractive to be used in the food and/or cosmetic industry.

Rainfall Patterns Associated with the Oceanic Niño Index in the Colombian Coffee Zone

&lt;p&gt;Farming is one of the most water-demanding activities in the world. In Colombia, a coffee crop planted with rust-resistant varieties requires between 1500 and 1800 mm of annual rainfall. Crop phenological stages such as flowering and production are determined by the behavior and amount of rainfall. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) on the cumulative rainfall for the Colombian coffee zone. Simple correlations between the Oceanic Niño Index and cumulative monthly rainfall level were analyzed. The correlation coefficient and the p-value were determined for each station analyzed and for each month of the year. The objective is to determine if the ONI could be used in a forecast by analogy—an old but effective method to make decisions in agriculture—and mainly to define adaptation strategies. We found that the relationship between the ONI and cumulative rainfall did not have a homogeneous behavior throughout the country. There are different behaviors, and those depend on the seasons and regions. ONI has a high impact on the rainfall of the dry seasons in the center and sometimes in the south of the country. However in the north, there are no significant effects of this index. It means that other indices should be used to quantify the effect of El Niño and La Niña on the rainfall of the Colombian coffee zone or, on the other way, the use of other climate variability triggers, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation or the North Atlantic Oscillation.&lt;/p&gt;

Survival analysis in gastric cancer patients of the Colombian coffee zone at the Oncologos del Occidente clinic during 2014.

148 Background: The risk of death for gastric cancer in Colombia is lightly higher for 2013 compared to 1998. Even though Risaralda has an irregular pattern for the risk of death, it was also higher compared to 1998, for these reasons the survival analysis was made with the information of gastric cancer patients treated in Oncólogos del Occidente clinic during 2014. Methods: A cohort study was made whose exposure is the treatment of gastric cancer. The time variable is the interval between the first medical appointment and the final control, interview or date of death, and the outcome makes reference to a death attributable to cancer gastric or surviving. The source of the cases were the clinical histories found in SAHICO data base, of the patients attended in the clinic Oncólogos del Occidente, to make univariate and bivariate analysis using Stata software. Results: There were 173 patients, from which 69.9% were male; the age group with highest incidence was 60 to 69 years old group (32.2%); 21.38% of the patients had family members with gastric cancer and 53.1% were diagnosed during advanced stages (III-IV). As far as the survival analysis, it was 207 days long, lessen if the patient only receives palliative treatment (122 days long) and increasing if surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were done (252 days long). Conclusions: In a national and international level, the epidemiological data correlates with the findings in this study; with respect to the diagnosis, in Colombia, it is made during advanced stages, meanwhile in developed countries the diagnosis is made during earlier stages because of the screening tests. The oncological surgery increased the patient’s survival, also for the patients who underwent surgery when they received chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Impact of human resource management on performance in competitive priorities

Purpose– Human resource management (HRM) is considered an important issue in operations strategy (OS). Furthermore, OS effectiveness depends on performance in competitive priorities (CP). However, little empirical evidence exists about the relationship between them. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of HRM on performance in CP.Design/methodology/approach– The research was conducted by surveying a sample of medium and large manufacturing companies in the Colombian coffee region. Three groups of variables were studied: performance in CP, HRM practices and factors related to employees. A regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses.Findings– No significant relationship was found between HRM practices and performance in CP. Regarding the factors related to employees, two findings were relevant: first, when the companies involve features about the individuals in OS decision making (motivations, personal goals, abilities, etc.) better performance can be observed in CP; second, when employees reach a higher level of satisfaction and job performance, the performance in CP improves as well.Practical implications– Considering the importance of HRM practices, appropriate adjustment and application should be sought to improve company performance. Furthermore, factors related to employees (features about the individuals, job satisfaction and employee performance), must be properly aligned with the OS.Originality/value– The paper addresses an issue supported by little empirical evidence. Because few studies have considered the total set of CP identified in the literature review, the authors applied an indicator to establish the global performance of the production system according to the market requirements. Traditionally, HRM has been studied from the perspective of management practices, giving little attention to employees. In this research, the authors consider not only this perspective but also the effects of factors related to employees on performance in CP when they are aligned with the OS.

Características del suelo en los cultivos de cafés especiales del municipio de Calarcá - Colombia

&lt;p&gt;La producción de café es un renglón económico de importancia significativa en Colombia, que cobra cada vez más relevancia por la declaratoria de la UNESCO de “Paisaje Cultural Cafetero Colombiano”, generando oportunidades para el sector productivo, pero también implica nuevos retos asociados a la calidad del café que le permita acceder a los mercados especializados, destacando la dinámica económica creciente de los cafés especiales. Existe una relación entre las prácticas agronómicas – incluyendo el origen y características del suelo - y la respuesta de la bebida en taza y la perfilación con relación a la expresión de los cafés especiales definidos por la SCAA (Specialty coffee assotiation of America). Por lo anterior, en este proyecto se realizó una clasificación de los suelos de la región de Calarcá (pH, materia orgánica, elementos mayores, clase textural, hierro y aluminio). A partir de análisis multivariado se encontraron dos tipologías de suelo determinados principalmente por el pH, concentración de calcio y los niveles de aluminio del suelo, así como el uso de semisombra, siendo parámetros relevantes para de dicho tipo de café.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;