Characterization and differentiation of coffee from infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water, the Colombian coffee production contributes with 9% of total world production and Colombian coffee is recognized by quality and mild coffee. Today, there is not enough evidence on the influence of altitude in sensory quality and coffee chemical composition. In this sense, we sought to characterize and differentiate coffees by infrared spectrum analysis (FTIR) and sensory evaluation. 62 specialty coffees samples were harvested at different altitudes, obtained in two harvest periods. The spectra obtained allowed finding differentiation in the peaks associated with chlorogenic acids (1600-1650cm-1) between green and roasted coffee beans, although no differences were observed in the peaks according to the harvest period; by itself. The sensory evaluation, according to the SCA methodology, 2015 did not generate statistically significant differences between harvest periods and evaluated varieties. When jointly considering the sensory analysis and the infrared spectrum analysis, there were statistically significant differences between harvest periods, attributable to the caffeine content and the total cup score. The results found show that there is no correlation between the height of the coffee crop and the final quality of the beverage.