Coffee Storage in Hermetic Bags and its Influence on Prices and Sensory Scores

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22267/rcia.223902.179

Keywords:

Coffee Sensory Attributes, Coffee Price Differential, Coffee Quality, Green Coffee, PICS bag, Water Activity

Abstract

Coffee quality is generally evaluated through cupping, a technique based on sensory perceptions. Trained cuppers assign scores to ten quality attributes on a scale of 1 to 10. Exposure of coffee to moisture and/or oxygen during storage and/or transportation can affect the sensory evaluation and reduce the price received by farmers. This paper has two objectives. First, it estimates the effect of sensory scores and water activity on coffee price and its price differential from the market price. Second, it explores coffee sensory scores sensitivity to storage duration and water activity under two methods of application of the Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags - the standard three layers PICS bag (PICS-3L) and the two layers PICS bag (PICS-2L). Data were collected for ten months from an experiment conducted in Manizales, Colombia. Results suggest, on average, that an additional point in the score of flavor or body increases the price of coffee by at least 66 COP/kg (0.015 USD/kg). If coffee has an additional point in aftertaste or uniformity from what is expected from other coffees of the same origin, then its price differential is reduced by at least 8 COP/kg (0.002 USD/kg). Using a PICS-3L bag instead of a PICS-2L bag does not affect the coffee price or sensory scores, but it reduces the price differential by approximately 18 COP/kg (0.004 USD/kg). On the other hand, water activity reduces coffee price but not its price differential. Storage time affects coffee sensory scores in some attributes, which may impact the coffee bean price.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Angels’ Take Inc. (2020). SCAA Cupping Protocol vs. AC. Retrieved from https://angelscup.com/scaa-cupping

Baoua, I. B.; Amadou, L.; Ousmane, B.; Baributsa, D.; Murdock, L. L. (2014). PICS bags for post-harvest storage of maize grain in West Africa. Journal of Stored Products Research. 58: 20–28. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.03.001

Baoua, I. B.; Amadou, L.; Bakoye, O.; Baributsa, D.; Murdock, L. L. (2016). Triple bagging hermetic technology for post-harvest preservation of paddy rice Oryza sativa L. in the Sahel of West Africa. Journal of Stored Products Research. 68: 73-79. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2016.04.006

Barbosa, J. N.; Borém, F. M.; Cirillo, M. A.; Malta, M. R.; Alvarenga, A. A.; Alves, H. M. (2012). Coffee Quality and Its Interactions with Environmental Factors in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Journal of Agricultural Science. 4(5): 181-190. doi: https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v4n5p181

Baributsa, D.; Baoua, I. B.; Abdoulaye, T.; Murdock, L. L. (2015). Stored Grain: A guide on the use of PICS bags for grain storage. Purdue Extension. E-265-W. doi: https://doi.org/10.21955/gatesopenres.1116199.1

Baributsa, D.; Baoua, I. B.; Bakoye, O. N.; Amadou, L.; Murdock, L. L. (2017). PICS bags safely store unshelled and shelled groundnuts in Niger. Journal of Stored Products Research. 72: 54–58. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2017.03.007

Baributsa, D.; Ignacio, M. C. (2020). Developments in the use of hermetic bags for grain storage. In: Maier D. Advances in postharvest management of cereals and grains. pp- 28. 1st Edition. Cambridge: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. 478p

Borém, F.-M.; Ribeiro, F.-C.; Figueiredo, L.-P.; Giomo, G.-S.; Fortunato, V.-A.; Isquierdo, E.-P. (2013). Evaluation of the sensory and color quality of coffee beans stored in hermetic packaging. Journal of Stored Products Research. 52: 1–6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2012.08.004

Di Donfrancesco, B.; Gutierrez-Guzman, N.; Chambers, E. (2014). Comparison of results from cupping and descriptive sensory analysis of colombian brewed coffee. Journal of Sensory Studies. 29(4): 301–311. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12104

Donovan, N.; Foster, K.; Parra-Salinas, C.-A. (2020). Quality Management and the Economics of Green Coffee Hermetic Storage. International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics. 8(1): 1–20.

Donovan, N.; Foster, K.; Parra-Salinas, C.-A. (2019). Analysis of green coffee quality using hermetic bag storage. Journal of Stored Products Research. 80: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2018.11.003

FNC-Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. (2004). Aprenda a Vender su Cafe. Retrieved from https://federaciondecafeteros.org

Food & Drug Administration. (1984). Water Activity (aw) in Foods. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/inspection-technical-guides/water-activity-aw-foods

Fretheim, I. (2014). Hot water: Measuring water activity in High-End Specialty Green coffee. Roast Magazine. 6: 39-49.

Gatchalian, M. (1999). Quality assessment through statistically-based sensory evaluation methods. TQM Magazine. 11(6): 389–395. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/09544789910287674

Gujarati, D. (2003). Basic Econometrics. 4th ed. McGraw Hill. 1002p

Hedegaard, R. -V.; Skibsted, L. -H. (2013). Shelf-life of food powders. In: Bhandari, B.; Bansal, N.; Zhang, M.; Schuck, P. Handbook of Food Powders: Processes and Properties. pp. 409–434. Sawston: Woodhead Publishing. doi: https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857098672.2.409

Jurado-Chaná, J.-M.; Montoya-Restrepo, E.-C.; Oliveros-Tascón, C.-E.; García- Alzate, J. (2009). Método para Medir el Contenido de Humedad del Café Pergamino en el Secado Solar del Café. Revista Cenicafé. 60(2): 135–147.

Labuza, T.-P.; Dugan, L.-R. (1971). Kinetics of lipid oxidation in foods. C R C Critical Reviews in Food Technology. 2(3): 355–405. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10408397109527127

Lingle, T. R. (1993). The Basics of Cupping Coffee. Specialty Coffee Association of America. 44p.

Lingle, T.-R.; Menon, S.-N. (2017). Cupping and Grading Discovering Character and Quality. In: Folmer, B. (ed.). The Craft and Science of Coffee. pp. 181–203. London: Elsevier Inc. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803520-7.00008-6

METER Group. (2017). Portable Water Activity Measurement System Operator’s Manual. Retrieved from www.metergroup.com

Murdock, L.-L.; Baributsa, D. (2014). Hermetic storage for those who need it most -subsistence farmers. Retrieved from http://spiru.cgahr.ksu.edu/proj/iwcspp/iwcspp11.html

Murdock, L.-L.; Margam, V.; Baoua, I.-B.; Balfe, S.; Shade, R.-E. (2012). Death by desiccation: Effects of hermetic storage on cowpea bruchids. Journal of Stored Products Research. 49: 166–170. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2012.01.002

Mutungi, C.; Affognon, H. -D.; Njoroge, A. -W.; Manono, J.; Baributsa, D.; Murdock, L. -L. (2015). Triple-Layer Plastic Bags Protect Dry Common Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) Against Damage by Acanthoscelides obtectus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) During Storage. Journal of Ecnomic Entomology. 108(5): 2479–2488. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tov197

Njoroge, A.-W.; Affognon, H.-D.; Mutungi, C.-M.; Manono, J.; Lamuka, P.-O.; Murdock, L. -L. (2014). Triple bag hermetic storage delivers a lethal punch to Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) in stored maize. Journal of Stored Products Research. 58: 12–19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.02.005

PROMPERU. (2019). Aromas y Sabores: El Mapa Sensorial del Café Peruano. Retrieved from https://repositorio.promperu.gob.pe/handle/123456789/4290

Puerta-Quintero, G.-I. (2006). La Humedad Controlada del Grano Preserva la Calidad del Café. Avances Técnicos Cenicafé. 352.

SCAA - Specialty Coffee Association of America. (2015). SCAA Protocols: Cupping Specialty Coffee. Retrieved from https://www.scaa.org/PDF/resources/cupping-protocols.pdf

SCAA - Specialty Coffee Association of America. (2018). Protocols and Best Practices. Retrieved from https://sca.coffee/research/protocols-best-practices

Statacorp. (2019). Stata Statistical Software: Release 16. StataCorp LLC. Retrieved from https://www.stata.com/support/faqs/resources/citing-software-documentation-faqs/

Stone, H.; Sidel, J. -L. (2004). Introduction to Sensory Evaluation. In: Stone, H.; Sidel, J.-L. Sensory Evaluation Practices. pp. 1–19. Third edition. Academic Press. 374p.

Sudini, H.; Ranga-Rao, G.-V.; Gowda, C. -L.; Chandrika, R.; Margam, V.; Rathore, A.; Murdock, L.-L. (2015). Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags for safe storage of groundnuts. Journal of Stored Products Research. 64: 133–138. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.09.002

Tubbs, T.; Baributsa, D.; Woloshuk, C. (2016). Impact of opening hermetic storage bags on grain quality, fungal growth and aflatoxin accumulation. Journal of Stored Products Research. 69: 276–281. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2016.10.003

Vales, M.-I.; Ranga-Rao, G.-V.; Sudini, H.; Patil, S.-B.; Murdock, L.-L. (2014). Effective and economic storage of pigeonpea seed in triple layer plastic bags. Journal of Stored Products Research. 58: 29–38. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.01.004

Van Der Vossen, H.-A.-M. (2009). The cup quality of disease-resistant cultivars of arabica coffee (coffea arabica). Experimental Agriculture. 45(3): 323–332. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0014479709007595

Williams, S.-B.; Baributsa, D.; Woloshuk, C. (2014). Assessing Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags to mitigate fungal growth and aflatoxin contamination. Journal of Stored Products Research. 59: 190–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2014.08.003

Williams, S.-B.; Murdock, L.-L.; Baributsa, D. (2017a). Sorghum seed storage in Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags and improvised containers. Journal of Stored Products Research. 72: 138–142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2017.04.004

Williams, S.-B.; Murdock, L.-L.; Baributsa, D. (2017b). Storage of maize in Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags. PLOS ONE. 12(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168624

Worku, M.; Duchateau, L.; Boeckx, P. (2016). Reproducibility of Coffee Quality Cupping Scores Delivered by Cupping Centers in Ethiopia. Journal of Sensory Studies. 31(5): 423–429. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12226

Downloads

Published

2022-09-16

How to Cite

Zurita, C. A., Foster, K., Baributsa, D., Parra, C. A., & Donovan, N. (2022). Coffee Storage in Hermetic Bags and its Influence on Prices and Sensory Scores. Revista De Ciencias Agrícolas, 39(2), 14–32. https://doi.org/10.22267/rcia.223902.179