CHANGES IN QUALITY OF COFFEE SUBMITTED TO DIFFERENT FORMS OF PROCESSING AND DRYING

Abstract

Recent research has indicated various changes in coffee grains resulting from processing and drying. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to verify the effect of slow drying and rapid drying on some biochemical and physiological parameters of coffee grains and on quality of the beverage. Coffee beans of the cultivar Catuaí Vermelho IAC 144 were collected and subjected to three forms of processing, natural, demucilaged and pulped coffees, as well as two methods of drying: slowly in the shade on suspended screens and rapid drying in fixed bed dryers at 35 ºC. After drying, the coffee grains were submitted to the following evaluations: sensory analysis, electrical conductivity, potassium leaching, polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity, total titratable acidity and physiological analyses. There is interaction between processing and drying methods on the sensory quality of the coffee, where the effects of drying are more evident. Coffees obtained by wet processing have greater tolerance to drying than those obtained by dry processing. Better sensory quality is obtained in coffees submitted to slow drying, regardless of the processing method used. Coffees with better sensory quality show better physiological quality.