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Mucilage fermentation conducted to degrade and remove coffee mucilage, is an important stage to also define coffee quality, but each microorganism’s contribution to the final quality is not yet known. Therefore, tools are needed to easily identify this relationship in order to be used to enhance coffee quality. The present manuscript describes the behavior of the microbial communities present in fermentations conducted under various conditions, which produced differences in the sensory quality of the coffee as assessed by the community-level catabolic profile approach. The coffee samples camefrom six different fermentation processes that produced coffee in two quality classifications according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) protocol: very good and excellent. Functional diversity of the microbial communities and substrate consumption were compared through analysis of variance. The multidimensional scaling analysis was used to identify the similarities or differences between treatments. The indices of functional diversity revealed significantdifferences and direct proportionality with the quality rating. Diversity index (H) was between 2.09 and 2.71 and Evenness was between 1.75 and 2.21. The consumption of groups of substrates was different between fermentations, especially in carbohydrates and carboxylic acids, and the greatest consumption of these was found in the excellent-quality coffee. The different fermentative processes evaluated by this technique showed a high metabolic activity related to the great diversity of substrates given to the microbial communities and microorganisms involved, causing reactions that had influence on the final quality of the product. Key words: Catabolic profiles; Coffee quality; Diversity indices.

A challenge in the packaging and export of specialty coffees is to avoid green coffee bean storage and transport conditions that negatively affect the sensory quality of the roasted beans. This study evaluated green beans of specialty coffees in eight types of packaging storaged in in a warehouse in Poços de Caldas, MG, Brazil, for 18 months (Brazilian phase) and subject to sea transport and subsequent storage at a specialty coffee import company (export phase) in the United States, where it remained stored for 14 months. Physical, chemical, and sensory analyses of the beans were performed in the Brazilian phase and export phase. Green coffee beans stored in high-barrier packages had the best conserved quality. Packages with little or no barrier were not adequate for packaging or exporting of specialty coffees. Beans in high-barrier packaging maintained their quality for long periods, and this type of packaging is recommended for specialty coffee storage and export.

This study was developed to determine the beverage quality and the sensory profile of Coffea arabica accesses of the Germplasm Collection of Minas Gerais State in two consecutive harvests. Mature coffee fruits from 49 accesses were selectively harvested in the 2015 and 2016 harvests, and after processing and drying they were sensorially evaluated by a team of trained judges in accordance to the protocols of the Specialty Coffee Association. The data were analyzed by Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Hierarchical Analysis, and Content Analysis. The year of harvest influences the scores of the sensory attributes of the beverage of some coffee accesses. The access 27 (Pacamara) stood out with the highest sensory score seen in the first year of harvest. The accesses 36 (Timor Hybrid UFV376-52) and 43 (BE5 WushWush) stood out for the final sensory score in the two years of evaluation. All accesses belonging to the Timor Hybrid Germplasm stood out in the beverage quality in the second year of harvest. A total of 139 sensory attribute descriptors were identified, and the content analysis showed different levels for the frequency of terms in each access group formed as a function of quality. The Germplasm Collection of Minas Gerais has a wide variability for the production of superior quality coffees, and the year of harvest influences to a greater or lesser degree the potential of quality of the accesses.

Specialty coffee is highly differentiated product because of its sensorial attributes: aroma, body and brand reputation. In specialized markets, these products are highly valued, and sometimes up to six times their commercial value is paid. Thus, it is essential to preserve their freshness. Sorption isotherms are necessary for determining and studying water sorption changes in specialty coffee during storage. This study aimed to determine the adsorption isotherms of specialty ground roasted-coffee at temperatures of 25 °C, 30 °C and 40 °C and water activities between 0.1 and 0.8 using the dynamic dewpoint method (DDI). The experiment sorption data were modeled using 12 different equations with non-linear regression to represent the dependence of the equilibrium moisture content with both water activity and temperature. In addition, the thermodynamic properties were determined with the experiment adsorption data. The results showed that type III isotherms were obtained according to the Brunauer classification, and the Weibull equation satisfactorily modeled the effect of the temperature on the hygroscopic equilibrium in the specialty ground roasted-coffee. The results of thermodynamic analysis showed that the net isosteric heat of adsorption and Gibbs free energy decreased as the equilibrium moisture content increased, indicating the amount of energy released, a strong bond energy between water molecules in the product components and spontaneity in the adsorption process. The entropy of the adsorption increased with the moisture content, leading to product stability conditions during storage. The results were similar to those reported for the roasted and ground coffee of others cultivars.

Although there are many good tools to evaluate coffee, such as rigorous cupping protocols, all of them require improvements in order to benefit scientific research. One aspect to highlight is that coffee is a very important product worldwide and has been and is being investigated for its complexity. All research and any improvement in crop or processing ends-up being verified in the coffee cup quality, which is accomplished through the cupping procedures. However, sufficient tools have not been designed in order to manage the cupping procedures, in accordance with the technological level we have available now. Basically, sheets of paper are used to manage the cupping scores, which hinder the subsequent analysis process, making hard to know what happens inside coffee beans with greater precision and thoroughness. Another worrying aspect is that each region, at each country uses a different format with different flavor references to carry out the scoring, which has generated problems of unity of criteria on the analysis and this is not good to the coffee business. This paper presents the design of a web platform to make information storage and results processing of cupping procedures of specialty coffees easier. The main objective is to achieve better managing of the cupping model for the sensory analysis using a digital environment, allowing greater agility in the treatment of results and a more organized management of the information of the specialty coffees.

The specialty coffee market is still little known and underexplored in Brazil, motivating an analysis of the competitive pressures and structure of the artisan coffee roaster segment in the state of Minas Gerais, in order to better understand it and encourage the adoption of specific policies for its expansion, besides comparing it to the commodity coffee roasting segment. A multi-case study was performed with three companies in this segment through in-depth interviews with their owners. There were significant changes in the competitive forces that shape the coffee industry, when comparing the specialty and commodity coffee segments, both in intensity and in motivations. Among the suggested policies to support the specialty coffee segment are its promotion and dissemination through “consumer education” and awareness raising on the differentiated properties of these products, besides providing subsidized courses and specializations for those who wish to be involved in this marketplace.

Os diferentes tipos de processamentos pós-colheita empregados nos frutos de café podem originar diferentes bebidas, cujo perfil sensorial depende de fatores ambientais e do manejo no processo de produção. Todos os processos envolvidos na produção de café, desde as características edafoclimáticas da área de cultivo até o sistema de armazenamento adotado, interferem na qualidade de bebida do café. Objetivou-se neste trabalho descrever o perfil sensorial de diferentes cultivares de café processados por via seca (natural) e via úmida (desmucilado), após um ano de armazenamento. Foram avaliados sensorialmente quatro cultivares de café (Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144, Iapar 59, Bourbon Amarelo e Paraíso MG H 419-1), da espécie Coffea arabica L. da safra de 2012/2013, com a realização de dois processamentos pós-colheita (natural e cereja desmucilado) após um ano de armazenamento. A análise sensorial foi realizada por dois provadores credenciados e habilitados por meio do protocolo da Specialty Coffee Association of America – SCAA. As cultivares se comportam de maneira diferenciada na qualidade em função do processamento adotado. Os cafés do processamento natural se destacaram na maioria dos atributos sensoriais avaliados em relação aos cafés desmucilados após um ano de armazenamento. As cultivares Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144 e Iapar 59 apresentaram melhor qualidade quando submetidas ao processamento natural. Já nos cafés desmucilados, maiores notas foram atribuídas às cultivares Bourbon Amarelo e Paraíso.

O café é um produto agrícola que tem seu valor de mercado ajustado de acordo com a qualidade final da bebida, que pode ser influenciada por vários fatores, tais como: fatores ambientais e variedade. Diante disso, objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar os efeitos da orientação da encosta da montanha, altitude e variedade da planta, sobre a qualidade potencial dos cafés produzidos na região das Matas de Minas (entre altitudes que variam de 600 a 1200 m). Frutos de café (Coffea arabica) das variedades “Catuaí Vermelho” e “Catuaí Amarelo”, provenientes de 14 municípios da região, foram colhidos manualmente no ponto de maturação fisiológica, os quais foram processados, beneficiados e armazenados. Em seguida foram feitas análises descritivas qualitativas por Juízes Certificadores, pelo teste de degustação segundo critérios da Brazil Specialty Coffee Association. Por meio da análise sensorial da bebida, foram atribuídas notas aos atributos de qualidade dos cafés objetivando classificá-los de acordo com a influência dos fatores do ambiente e da variedade. Para análise das notas foi adotada a “Estatística Descritiva” e o “Método de Tocher”. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pode-se observar que os fatores ambientais e a variedade não exercem influência sobre a qualidade da bebida de forma isolada, todavia, contribuem de forma conjunta para formar as características da bebida produzida na região. A maior pontuação média foi obtida pela combinação de fatores, variedade “Catuaí Amarelo” estrato de altitude abaixo de 700 m e encosta Noruega da montanha, mostrando grande potencial de expressão da qualidade sensorial da bebida.

A cafeicultura brasileira está em destaque no mundo, principalmente o café especial produzido no estado de Minas Gerais. O mercado nacional e principalmente o internacional está cada vez mais exigente no consumo de produtos agrícolas; sendo assim, a certificação do café torna-se uma ferramenta de garantia da qualidade e produção sustentável. Este trabalho teve por objetivo analisar se a certificação “Certifica Minas Café” que constitui uma ferramenta de gestão é válida para o produtor, bem como analisar os ganhos em função da qualidade do café certificado. Desta forma, realizou-se uma pesquisa, por meio de questionário semiestruturado, com os produtores de café de Alfenas. Dentre os fatores analisados, verificou-se que a certificação beneficia o produtor a gerir melhor a sua propriedade, auxilia no aumento da produção de café especial e aumenta a lucratividade. Portanto, é uma ferramenta de gestão válida para o agricultor familiar e médio produtor, visto que os grandes produtores geralmente possuem um controle gerencial ativo em suas propriedades. Contudo é importante a atenção de que quanto mais o agricultor familiar certificado compartilhar sua experiência no processo de certificação com os outros produtores que ainda não estão certificados, maior será o número de produtores interessado em aderir ao programa de certificação, porque a propaganda de pessoa para pessoa ainda é um dos canais de marketing mais fortes do mercado.