Correlation between the composition of green Arabica coffee beans and the sensory quality of coffee brews

Abstract

This research aimed to correlate the composition of green Arabica coffee beans with the sensory quality coffee brews. The chemical composition of green Arabica coffee bean (66 samples) from three coffee quality contests was analyzed by near-infrared spectroscopy. Coffee brews with lower quality scores were correlated with high levels of caffeine, protein, chlorogenic acids and total titratable acidity (TTA) in the green coffee beans. High sucrose/TTA and cafestol/kahweol ratios in the green coffee beans were usually associated with higher scores for the coffee brews. By multivariate analysis techniques, the samples were separated into groups according to production years indicating a strong influence of the environmental conditions on the chemical composition. The profile of the composition of the crude coffee can be indicative of the sensory quality of the coffee brews, relevant information for producers and industry since the green beans are the material used for trading and purchasing coffee.

Keywords: Cafestol (PubChem CID: 30 108052); Caffeine; Caffeine (PubChem CID: 2519); Chlorogenic acids; Diterpenes; Kahweol (PubChem CID: 114778); Near-infrared spectroscopy; Proteins; Sucrose; Sucrose (PubChem CID: 5988).