Changes in Physico-chemical Characteristics of Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora) during Natural Process Using Simple Solar Dryero Submit This Sample Abstract Harijono, Mohamad Farhan Wicaksono, Siti Narsito Wulan, Dego Yusa Ali*
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya
*dego[at]ub.ac.id
Abstract
A simple solar drying technique was recently introduced for processing robusta coffee (Coffea canephora) in Indonesia. It is considered a modification of the natural process commonly found in Indonesia. The objective of this work is to evaluate changes in the characteristics of coffee during the process, and the green beans produced. The results show that a significant reduction of moisture content and Aw takes place in the first 7 days of drying, followed by a slight increase of total sugar and total acids. The next 14 days of drying occurred at a lower rate, and the above-mentioned parameters continued to decrease, but an increase in the pH and total phenols were observed. The yield of the process was 27.5%, and the moisture content of the green bean meets the Indonesian coffee quality standard of SNI. The water activity (Aw) of the green bean is considered low which is safe from microbial spoilage if stored properly. The levels of caffeine and chlorogenic acids in the green bean are considered low for robusta coffee.
Keywords: robusta coffee, solar drying process, changes of characteristics, green beans
