Dados do Trabalho

Título

The Impact of SIAF Fermentation on Arabica Coffee var. Acauã

Introdução

Annually, coffee producers around the world strive to enhance the quality of specialty coffees. In this context, the Arabica coffee variety Acauã stands out for its disease and pest resistance, and its ability to produce high-quality beans with unique flavors. This research aimed to explore the potential of this variety through rigorous sensory analysis, using the methodology of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).

Material e Métodos

For this purpose, the study was conducted on the Chua farm in the city of Patos de Minas, Minas Gerais, with the Acauã variety, which underwent a Self-induced Anaerobic Fermentation (SIAF) fermentation process for 48 hours in 200-liter polyethylene bioreactors. Solid-state and submerged fermentation methods were employed, with and without the use of starter cultures, followed by sensory analyses performed by certified Q-graders.

Resultados e Discussão

The results indicate that the coffee fermented in solid state with inoculants reached the highest average score of 84.21 ± 1.05 points, followed by the solid-state method without starter cultures, which recorded an average of 83.42 ± 0.93 points, among the experiments carried out. This study suggests that solid-state fermentation is more beneficial for enhancing the sensory characteristics of coffee compared to submerged fermentation without inoculum, with an average between treatments of 82.83 ± 0.08, and with inoculum 81.79 ± 1.22 points..The control sample, without fermentation,scored the lowest compared to solid-state fermentation (83.04 ± 0.48), reinforcing that solid-state fermentation positively contributes to the sensory quality of the coffee.

Conclusão

The sensory analysis revealed that the highest-scoring coffees exhibited distinct notes of chocolate, nut, citric acidity, and plums, with a special herbal note in the highest-scoring coffee. It is concluded, then, that the use of the SIAF method in solid state for 48 hours is crucial for elevating the sensory quality of coffee.