Influence of cultivation place and harvesting procedure on physical characteristic, grain composition and coffee quality. I - Polifenol oxidase activities, protein content and color indexes

Abstract

With objective of determining the influence of harvesting type and cultivation place on poliphenol oxidase activities, protein content and color index of coffee grain, samples of São Sebastião do Paraíso, Machado, Viçosa, Patrocínio and Lavras, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were evaluated. The coffee fruits were harvested and processed in three different stages: berry maturation, pulping, and coffee berry stripping on cloth ("derriça em pano"). Coffee of Patrocínio presented the highest poliphenol oxidase and protein values; the harvest type affected coffee grain chemical composition; pulping increased poliphenol oxidase activity; qualitative classification based in poliphenol oxtdase activity and color index showed fine or extrafine beverage for pulped coffees from Patrocínio, Lavras and São Sebastião do Paraíso and ''derriça de pano" for Patrocínio; beverage between acceptable and fine for pulped coffees from Viçosa, Machado and coffee berry for Patrocínio and Lavras; acceptable beverage for "derriça de pano" from Lavras, São Sebastião do Paraíso, Viçosa and Machado and coffee berry for São Sebastião do Paraíso and Machado and inferior beverage for coffee berry from Viçosa.