Postharvest Practices and Their Impacts on the Quality of Flores Bajawa Arabica Coffee ( Coffea arabica L.)

Abstract

Flores Bajawa Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) is renowned for its distinctive flavor, yet its final quality is highly influenced by postharvest practices. This study evaluated natural (dry), full-wash (wet), and honey processing methods to determine their impact on the chemical composition of Bajawa Arabica coffee beans. Representative samples were analyzed for caffeine (HPLC), total phenolics (spectrophotometry), sugars (AOAC), and acidity (titration). Results showed that dry processing yielded the highest caffeine content (1.25%), full-wash processing enhanced phenolics (68.05 mg GAE/g), sugars (3.89%), and acidity (0.036%), while honey processing generally produced intermediate values. This is the first systematic study on Flores Bajawa coffee postharvest practices, highlighting that processing choices significantly shape both functional and sensory quality. The findings provide practical guidance for optimizing processing to meet specialty coffee market demands and improve farmer income.