Genetic diversity of the fungal community that contributes to the sensory quality of coffee beverage after carbonic maceration and fermentation

• Published in: 3 Biotech Vol. 14; no. 11; p. 272
• Main Authors: Entringer, Thaynara Lorenzoni, da Luz, José Maria Rodrigues, Veloso, Tomás Gomes Reis, Pereira, Lucas Louzada, Menezes, Karen Mirella Souza, Brioschi Júnior, Dério, Kasuya, Maria Catarina Megumi, da Silva, Marliane de Cássia Soares
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-11-2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aerobic microorganisms; Agriculture; Anaerobic microorganisms; Anaerobic processes; Bioinformatics; Biomaterials; Biotechnology; Cancer Research; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coffea arabica; Coffee; Fermentation; Fermented food; Food quality; Food security; Food selection; Fruits; Fungi; Genetic analysis; Genetic diversity; Maceration; Microbiomes; Microorganisms; Next-generation sequencing; Original Article; Pichia cephalocereana; Sensory evaluation; Sensory properties; Starter cultures; Stem Cells; Fungal metabarcoding; Coffee beverage; Coffee fermentation; Microbial taxons; DNA sequencing
• ISSN: 2190-572X; 2190-5738
• DOI: 10.1007/s13205-024-04099-z

Understanding the effects of microorganisms on coffee fermentation is crucial to ensure sensory quality and food security. The analysis of the dynamics of the microbial community during fermentation can contribute to a better understanding of the beneficial and harmful effects of microorganisms and help select starter cultures to improve coffee quality. Furthermore, the anaerobic environment produced by carbonic maceration of the coffee fruits inhibits aerobic respiratory processes and stimulates fermentative metabolism, modulating the microbial community during coffee fermentation. This study evaluated the effects of carbonic maceration in the fungal community dynamics during the fermentation of
Coffea arabica
fruits at 18, 28, and 38 °C for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. Fungal diversity was accompanied by high-throughput sequencing (NGS) of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region. During the coffee fermentation, the fungal community changed over time, with the most significant changes occurring at 18 and 28 °C after 72 h. However, at 38 °C, there were greater variations in fungal composition and fungal diversity was highest after 120 h. The yeast
Pichia cephalocereana
was predominant in the fermentations. These results indicated that temperature and fermentation conditions influence the fungal community during coffee fermentation. Lower temperatures might favor a more stable microbial environment, while higher temperatures lead to more intense changes. Thus, our data from NGS can help in the identification, isolation, and metabolic characterization of fungi for the fermentation of coffee fruits.