Coffee fermentation treatment how many hours coffee fermentation treatment principle coffee fermentation process

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Coffee fermentation

The beans, covered with slippery mucus, can be sent to the patio to dry as a natural coffee slurry or to a coffee fermenter. Coffee fermenters are used to remove mucus before drying. The ground coffee beans are placed in a cement tank with water and fermented for 16-36 hours. Another density separation may occur on the way to the fermenter. The best quality coffee has the highest density and should be separated and fermented in different containers.

Coffee fermentation time depends on many factors, including the amount of coffee fermented, the temperature and humidity of the water. This mucus consists of pectic substances including protopectin (33%), reducing sugars (30%), non-reducing sugars (20%), cellulose and ash (17%)(Wrigley, 455). Protopectin is insoluble in water and hydrolyzes to pectic acid in fermenters (Wrigley, 455). Enzymatic hydrolysis of protopectin and degradation of pectin are processes that remove mucus during fermentation (Wrigley, 455). Currently, the best way to determine the end of coffee fermentation is to touch the beans to determine if they are still wrapped in mucus. If coffee beans are fermented for 36-72 hours, they will produce stinky coffee beans. Lactic acid, acetic acid and propionic acid are produced in this process and are believed to prevent the taste of traditional fermentation by inhibiting mold growth, which occurs periodically during outdoor drying under humid conditions (Wrigley).

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