Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Coffee
Coffee
DOI 10.1007/s11947-011-0565-z
Part of Coffe Cherry
Processes of Coffee beans
Fermentation
• The coffee fruit can be processed by three different methods,
referred to as dry, wet, and semi-dry.
• Wet processing is used mainly for Arabica coffee: the ripe
fruits are de-pulped and then submitted to 24–48 h of
underwater tank fermentation and dried until a final water
content of 10–12% is achieved.
• In dry processing, entire coffee fruits are dried (in the sun) on
platforms and/or on the floor without prior removal of the
pulp.
• Semi-dry processing is a combination of both methods, in
which coffee fruits are de-pulped, but the fermentation
process occurs directly under the sun on a platform.
• The number of studies devoted for microbiological aspects
of coffee is rather limited compared to cocoa fermentation.
• This may be due to the fact that fermentation of coffee
beans is almost restricted to the degradation of the
mucilage.
• Microbial interactions and biochemical changes between
pulp and bean observed for cocoa fermentation are poorly
understood in the coffee fermentation.
• Over 50 bacterial and yeast species that have been
identified during the coffee fermentation process that linked
to the processing method used
• Yeast and total bacteria populations are more diverse and are
present in greater numbers in dry processing than that in wet
or semi-dry
• On the other hand, LAB is isolated in high numbers in wet
processing due to the anaerobic or low oxygen conditions
present, which favor their development.
• In dry processing, the common species are Bacillus subtilis,
species of the Enterobacteriaceae family, Debaryomyces
hansenii, Pichia guilliermondii, and Aspergilus niger.
• In the wet and semi-dry processing, the species commonly
isolated are Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus
plantarum, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus cereus,
Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Pichia fermentans.
• Thus, the common species in all types of processing belong to
the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pichia genus
Microbial Activities and Their Impact on
Coffee Quality
(i) degradation of pulp and mucilage materials;
(ii) positive contributions to coffee flavor and aroma; (More
than 700 volatile and nonvolatile compounds contributing
to the flavor of coffee have been identified, microbial
activity and the extent of fermentation will determine the
concentrations of free sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose) and
free amino acids that remain surrounding the bean and
subsequently contribute to the production )
(iii) negative contributions to flavor and aroma;
(iv) mycotoxin production and coffee safety; and
(v) biocontrol of quality.
• Coffee beans obtained by the fermentation process had
higher concentrations of volatiles such as alcohols, acids,
esters, aldehydes, and ketones and had more pleasant,
acceptable coffee aromas. In contrast, beans produced
without any fermentation were less rich in these volatiles
and exhibited unpleasant sulfurous aromas
• The presence of desirable microorganisms should be
controlled to produce some organic acids that improved
the final beverage quality. The presence of malic and citric
acids (>1 mg/mL) confers a desirable acidity to the final
beverage
Negative Contributions to Coffee Flavor and
Aroma
• Beans that are under-fermented contain
residual mucilage and sugars that impede the
drying process and encourage the growth of
spoilage bacteria and fungi.
• Unwanted production of microbial
compounds, especially butyric and propionic
acids which confer off-flavors, such as onion
taste (not be present in concentrations higher
than 1 mg/mL)
• Species of the Bacillus genus, especially B. megaterium, might
be responsible for the propionic acid found in coffees
processed via dry or natural method.
• The propionic acid is detected in high concentrations only
when the fermentative process is longer than it should be
(beyond 2 weeks in natural coffees)
• Over dry fermentation might also lead to excessive acetic acid
production by associated bacteria such as species of the
Enterobacteriaceae and acetic acid bacteria
• Over-fermentation may also generate short chain fatty acids
and their esters (2-methyl butanoic acid ethylester, 3-methyl
butanoic acid ethylester and cyclohexanoic acid ethylester)
that can prejudice coffee quality if presented at
concentrations higher than 1.8, 13.9, and 14 mg kg−1,
respectively .
Chemical compound after fermentation