Isolation of fungi at different stages of coffee processing grown and marketed in Toledo, Norte de Santander

Abstract

Coffee in Colombia is a product that has been part of the lives of millions of consumers and therefore requires quality control that guarantees the safety of the product without it representing a risk to human health. For the present study, coffee samples were collected from the different stages of production: (cherry coffee, parchment, threshing, roasting and ground) in the municipality of Toledo, Norte de Santander - Colombia. To observe fungal growth, the beans were sown on PDA (Papa Dextrose Agar) and Sabouraud Agar, incubated at 25 ° C for 3 days. The presence of genera such as Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Fusarium spp. was found. On the other hand, the fungal quality of ground coffee was evaluated by counting fungi and yeasts in Sabouraud Agar, incubated at 25 ° C for 5 to 7 days, finding that the final product (ground coffee) complies with the parameters established in NTC 3534 - 2007 Roasted, whole bean or ground coffee. In turn, the coffee in its different stages was determined by physicochemical variables (pH, Aw, percentage of humidity), finding that as the coffee processing progresses, some physicochemical parameters are affected, such as Aw, unlike other variables such as pH, which did not present significant differences in each of them. The physicochemical variables facilitate the development of fungi throughout the process.