Effect of Three Post-Harvest Methods at Different Altitudes on the Organoleptic Quality of C. canephora Coffee

Abstract

C. canephora (syn. C. robusta) is distinctive due to its rising industrial value and pathogen resistance. Both altitude and post-harvest methods influence coffee cup quality; however, modest information is known about this coffee species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between four different altitudes and post-harvest processes (dry, honey, and wet) to the improvement of the organoleptic quality of the C. canephora congolensis and conilon drink. For dry processing, congolensis and conilon showed the lowest scores in terms of fragrance/aroma, flavour, aftertaste, salt–acid, bitter–sweet, and body. Above 625 m, coffees from dry, honey, and wet processes increased scores in their sensory attributes, but there was no difference at such high altitudes when comparing post-harvest samples. Dry-processed coffee samples had total scores over 80 points at high altitudes. Conilon was perceived to have the best sensory attributes at high altitudes using honey processing. In general, the wet-processed congolensis and conilon samples had a tastier profile than dry-processed ones.

Sensory profiles of Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) genetic resources from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…Environmental conditions such as growing altitude and shade impact the sensory quality of coffee. Previous research reported a positive impact of higher altitude on the sensory quality of Robusta (Velásquez et al, 2022) and Arabica cultivars (Avelino et al, 2005;Tolessa et al, 2017;Worku et al, 2018;Koutouleas et al, 2023). Previous studies also reported both a positive effect (Vaast et al, 2006;Worku et al, 2018) and a negative effect (Bosselmann et al, 2009;Tolessa et al, 2017) of shade on the sensory quality of Arabica coffee.…”

Improving Arabica Coffee Quality: Examining Post-Harvest Practices among Farmers in Bener Meriah District, Aceh, Indonesia

“…This stage is vital because the outcome of post-harvest processing directly influences the harvest's added value or market value. Post-harvest processing is also crucial for enhancing the quality of coffee [15][16][17][18][19][20]. Postharvest processing is crucial due to the market demand for specialty coffee.…”