Análise sensorial e química de cafés fermentados submetidos a diferentes processos de desinfecção do fruto

Abstract

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and exporter. In recent years, the population has come to value higher quality coffees, the so-called specialty coffees, and since then coffee growers have sought to improve the product, from planting to processing. Coffee fermentation can help in the development of flavor and aroma, establishing one more path within post-harvest processing to improve the quality of Brazilian coffees. However, the presence of undesirable microorganisms during coffee processing and fermentation can negatively influence the quality of the final drink. The objective of this work was to chemically and sensorially evaluate samples of fermented coffee from the cultivar MGS Paraíso 2 after disinfection of the fruits by sanitizing solutions. The design used was DIC, with six treatments and five replications, totaling 30 plots. The treatments consisted of the control (absence of disinfectant solution – T1), T2 with the use of ozone as disinfectant, T3 with sodium hypochlorite + ascorbic acid, T4 with peracetic acid, T5 with potassium metabisulphite and T6 with hydrogen peroxide. After the fermentation, drying, resting and processing period, the samples were sent for sensory and chemical analyses. According to sensory analysis, all treatments had a final score above 84 points and the use of disinfectant solutions did not influence the quality of the drink in any of the treatments. Among the most cited flavors and aromas in the CATA analysis, sweet, fruity and citric stood out. Solutions such as sodium hypochlorite + ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide can lower the pH and, consequently, increase the acidity of the beverage. The use of ozone allowed the preservation of total soluble solids, showed low levels of electrical conductivity and potassium leaching. Hydrogen peroxide is not a suitable sanitizer for disinfecting coffee berries, as it lowers the pH of the solution and causes higher levels of potassium leaching. The peracetic acid and potassium metabisulphite sanitizers did not show differences in relation to the control in any of the physical-chemical aspects analyzed, maintaining the beverage's characteristics. Thus, among the sanitizing solutions, only ozone obtained efficient power to reduce microorganisms.