Volatile Fingerprinting and Sensory Profiles of Coffee Cascara Teas Produced in Latin American Countries

Coffee is one of the most produced and consumed food products worldwide. Its production generates a large amount of byproducts with bioactive potential, like the fruit skin and pulp, popularly called cascara. This study aimed to evaluate the volatile and sensory profiles and the consumption potential of commercial Coffea arabica cascara teas by Rio de Janeiro consumers. Analyses of volatile organic compounds in unfermented (n = 2) and fermented (n = 4) cascara tea infusions were performed by GC-MS. RATA and acceptance sensory tests were performed with untrained assessors (n = 100). Fifty-three volatile organic compounds distributed in 9 classes were identified in different samples. Aldehydes, acids, alcohols, esters, and ketones prevailed in order of abundance. With mild intensity, the most cited aroma and flavor attributes were sweet, herbal, woody, prune, fruity, honey, toasted mate and black tea for unfermented teas. For the fermented teas, sweet, woody, black tea, prune, herbal, citric, fruity, honey, raisin, peach, toasted mate, tamarind, and hibiscus were rated as intense. A good association between the attributes selected by the assessors and the volatile compounds was observed. Unfermented teas, with a mild flavor and traditional characteristics, showed better mean acceptance (6.0-5.9 points) when compared to fermented teas (6.0-5.3 points), with exotic and complex attributes. These were well accepted (>8.0 points) by only about 20% of the assessors, a niche of consumers that appreciate gourmet foods.

Automated summary

Coffee cascara, a byproduct of coffee production, has bioactive potential. This study evaluated the volatile and sensory profiles of commercial Coffea arabica cascara teas and found that unfermented teas were more popular among consumers, while fermented teas were preferred by consumers who appreciate gourmet foods.