Effects of cherries Sanitization methods and fermentation times on quality parameters of coffee beans

For the first time, the dual effect of coffee cherry sanitization methods to control the microbial load in processing and the influence of fermentation time on coffee quality parameters was evaluated. Two assays were carried out by wet processing: I) Sanitization of the coffee cherry (ST1: Unclassified processed cherries; ST2: Classified and sanitized cherries with drinking water; ST3: Classified and sanitized cherries with a chemical agents and II) Fermentation times (FT1: 12 h; FT2: 24 h; FT3: 48 h; FT4: 72 h and FT5: 96 h). pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen were monitored during fermentation. Counts of Lactic Acid Bacteria - LAB, mesophiles, and yeasts were carried out on the coffee mass before and after fermentation. Caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents were determined by HPLC-DAD and the sensory profile by methodology for specialty coffees (SCA). The main findings showed that: sanitization with Timsen® did not significantly influence the evolution of pH during fermentation (p > 0.05), but it can reduce to a small extent the action of LAB at the end of the process. It was observed that the temperature of the coffee mass tends to balance with the ambient temperature, with significant effects (p