The New Standpoints for the Terroir of ICoffea canephora/I from Southwestern Brazil: Edaphic and Sensorial Perspective

• Published in: Agronomy (Basel) 2022-08, Vol.12 (8)
• Main Authors: Filete, Cristhiane Altoé, Moreira, Taís Rizzo, dos Santos, Alexandre Rosa, dos Santos Gomes, Willian, Guarçoni, Rogério Carvalho, Moreli, Aldemar Polonini, Augusto, Maria Imaculada, de Oliveira Abreu, Raabe, Simmer, Marinalva Maria Bratz, Caliman, Alice Dela Costa, Guimarães, Cleidiana Vieira, da Silva Berilli, Savio, Ferrão, Maria Amélia Gava, da Fonseca, Aymbiré Francisco Almeida, Partelli, Fábio Luiz, Berilli, Ana Paula Candido Gabriel, da Silva Oliveira, Emanuele Catarina, Pereira, Lucas Louzada
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Fermentation
• ISSN: 2073-4395; 2073-4395
• DOI: 10.3390/agronomy12081931

The sensory profile from the Coffea canephora stands out for being denser, less sweet, presenting less acidity, and having characteristics of a marked aroma of roasted cereals. Coffee is essentially a terroir product, that is, directly influenced by environmental aspects, both natural and anthropic, in this sense, it has been argued that Coffea canephora is linked to the context of inferior coffees in sensory terms by the terroir conditions. This study aimed to characterize and investigate the terroir in different areas of Conilon coffee production, with the application of different fermentation methods, and to observe their possible gains and losses in the sensory quality of Coffea canephora. Cherry coffee samples were collected in six municipalities in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, which has an altitude variation from 376 m to 866 m. The study showed that the local characteristics of altitude and temperature directly influence the sensory quality, as well as demonstrated that natural fermentation in a specific altitude zone delivered good results, fixing the terroir factor. Finally, it was demonstrated that induced fermentation helps to improve sensory quality for higher altitude areas, indicating the possibility of reformulating the terroir of Conilon coffee production.