Improvement of the Quality of Brazilian Conilon through Wet Processing: A Sensorial Perspective

Abstract

Conilon coffee represents almost 20% of all coffee production in the Brazilian territory; however, it is inexpressive in relation to the sensory quality when compared to Arabica coffee. It is noteworthy that the coffee from the species Coffea canephora PIERRE has a denser sensorial profile, is less sweet, less acidic and with strong pronunciation of the body at the time of tasting. This study has unprecedentedly applied the use of starter cultures (yeast) to optimize and modify the metabolic pathways and consequently the sensorial quality perceived by Q-graders. The experiments were conducted in a randomized block design with five replicates, in the 3 × 4 factorial scheme, with three fermentation times—24, 48 and 72 hours and four wet processing tests—Washed, Yeast fermentation, Fully washed without yeast and Fully washed with yeast. The sensorial results indicate a new perspective for the application of wet processing with starter cultures for Conilon coffee. They indicate gains in sensory scale, opening a new phase of studies on spontaneous and induced fermentation for Conilon coffee in Brazil and worldwide.