PRICE AND QUALITY OF COFFEE (COFFEA ARABICA L.) DRIED USING AIR DEHUMIDIFIED BY CONVECTION

ABSTRACT Grain drying processes have been improved to reduce costs and losses of coffee beverage quality. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the quality of coffee dried using air partially dehumidified before entering drying units (DUs) in four coffee-producing farms, as well as the effects of such process on coffee commercial value. The method consisted of obtaining three samples (triplicates) of coffee dried in both DUs and concrete terraces (control) for mean multiple comparisons. The following variables were analyzed for sieve #13 and hand-picked beans: defect number, cupping test, and pricing. Evaluations were carried out by three professional graders. The results showed that coffee dried in the DUs presented fewer broken grains, higher cupping score, and less negative factors of handsorting and defects. As a conclusion, it should be emphasized an average increase of 12.11% in price for coffee beans previously dehumidified.摘要：咖啡豆干燥工艺已得到优化，以降低成本并减少咖啡饮品的品质损耗。本研究旨在评估四家咖啡种植农场中，采用进入干燥单元（Drying Units，简称DUs）前先经部分除湿的空气进行干燥的咖啡豆的品质，并探究该工艺对咖啡豆商业价值的影响。本研究的实验方法为：分别在干燥单元（DUs）与混凝土晒台（对照组）中进行咖啡豆干燥，每组各取三份平行样品，以开展均值多重比较。针对13号筛分级的咖啡豆及手工挑选的咖啡豆，分析以下指标：缺陷粒数、杯测（cupping test）评分与定价。评估工作由三名专业评豆师完成。结果显示，经干燥单元干燥的咖啡豆破碎粒数更少，杯测得分更高，且手工挑选环节的负面因素与缺陷占比更低。综上需着重强调：经预除湿处理的咖啡豆，其售价平均提升12.11%。