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Mapping the potential beverage quality of coffee produced in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Author(s) -
Silva Samuel de Assis,
de Queiroz Daniel Marçal,
Ferreira Williams Pinto Marques,
Corrêa Paulo Cesar,
Rufino José Luis dos Santos
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.7485
Subject(s) - altitude (triangle) , arabica coffee , geography , crop , horticulture , environmental science , forestry , biology , mathematics , geometry
BACKGROUND Detailed knowledge of coffee production systems enables optimization of crop management, harvesting and post‐harvest techniques. In this study, coffee quality is mapped as a function of coffee variety, altitude and terrain aspect attributes. The work was performed in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil. RESULTS A large range of coffee quality grades was observed for the Red Catuai variety. For the Yellow Catuai variety, no quality grades lower than 70 were observed. Regarding the terrain aspect, samples from the southeast‐facing slope ( SEFS ) and the northwest‐facing slope ( NWFS ) exhibited distinct behaviors. The SEFS samples had a greater range of quality grades than did the NWFS samples. The highest grade was obtained from an NWFS point. The lowest quality values and the largest range of grades were observed at lower altitudes. The extracts from the highest‐altitude samples did not produce any low‐quality coffee. CONCLUSIONS The production site's position and altitude are the primary variables that influenced the coffee quality. The study area has micro‐regions with grades ranging from 80 to 94. These areas have the potential for producing specialty coffees. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry