Impact of Storage Conditions and Packaging Material on Moisture and Cup Quality of Cherry and Parchment Coffee

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of packaging material and ambient storage conditions on the moisture content and cup quality of arabica and robusta coffee stored as cherry and parchment for six months. Seven packaging treatments were examined: gunny bag, two types of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bag, hermetic bag, and combinations of each conventional bag with a hermetic bag. Moisture content was measured monthly, while cup quality was assessed at three-month intervals. Storage-room temperature ranged from 24.90 to 29.28 °C, and relative humidity ranged from 55.85 to 78.33 %. Moisture content in the non-hermetic treatments initially declined and subsequently increased, reaching approximately 15 to 18 % in cherry coffee and 14 to 16 % in parchment coffee by the sixth month. In contrast, hermetic and hermetic-combined treatments generally maintained moisture content within approximately 11 to 13 %. Cup quality also deteriorated more markedly in conventional packaging. For arabica cherry coffee, six-month sensory scores were 20.70 in gunny bags and 18.07 to 18.88 in HDPE bags, compared with 64.74 to 68.55 in hermetic-based treatments. Comparable patterns were observed for arabica parchment and robusta coffees. Parchment coffee generally retained sensory quality better than cherry coffee. These findings indicate that hermetic packaging, used alone or with conventional outer bags, limited moisture exchange and better preserved coffee quality during ambient storage.