What are the difficulties of sea Transportation of coffee products? One of the most dangerous parts of the coffee’s journey from field to roastery is shipping. The beans are exposed to extreme heat and humidity for days in a container, which can cause cup scores to fall.
Many elements influence the quality of coffee
What are the difficulties of sea Transportation of coffee products? Some believe that as soon as the coffee cherries are plucked, the clock starts ticking and the quality begins to deteriorate. Many elements influence the quality and stability of coffee, but when working with dried green beans, temperature, relative humidity, and moisture content are the most important to consider.
Coffee is hygroscopic
What are the difficulties of sea Transportation of coffee products? Coffee is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs and holds moisture in the air. Diego informs me about a five-month GrainPro research in Costa Rica that found that the moisture content of Arabica coffee kept in a high-relative-humidity setting rose by 2%. Coffee’s hygroscopic properties can lead to oxidation and mold in severe situations.
Oxygen bleaching
What are the difficulties of sea Transportation of coffee products? Whitening, also known as “oxygen bleaching,” occurs when green beans absorb a considerable quantity of moisture from the atmosphere. The flavor of coffee varies as its look changes. The most noticeable consequences are a lack of acidity and a saggy or past-crop taste.
Ochratoxin
Mold, on the other hand, poses a threat to not just the cup score, but also to the health and safety of consumers. The most serious issue with excessive moisture content during transit is the potential for ochratoxin to form in the coffee, rendering it unfit for human consumption.
They lose their fragrance and flavor
Coffee beans that have been exposed to oxidation and mold can lose their fragrance and flavor, resulting in cups that fall short of roasters’ and customers’ expectations. This not only jeopardizes the parties’ ability to trade prices, but it also jeopardizes the health of customers who drink low-quality coffee that may contain ochratoxins.
Challenges
Consider a bright day at a port or on the beach. It’s hot, muggy, and sticky. Then, when the sun sets, it swiftly cools down, making it appropriate to put on a light sweater. Imagine that green coffee being sent by ocean freight. As it travels to the target port, it may be subjected to these temperature and humidity fluctuations for days. When you factor in unpredictable weather patterns, long trips with potential port delays, and climate variations between the origin and importing countries, maritime transit becomes a considerable issue.
Humidity
The shipping of coffee beans is made more difficult as a result of this. A relative humidity of 75% “corresponds to a moisture content in the bean of 15–16%… For the development of fungus, this is the crucial level. Mold growth is exacerbated by changing temperatures. Condensation can form within containers when they are transported from nations with tropical temperatures to countries with colder, more temperate climates.
Protection
Sea transport might pose insurmountable challenges for certain coffee firms. Doi Chaang Coffee used to send its beans from Thailand to the United States. However, they eventually had to quit supplying to this market. Use a liner to protect the container, and a pouch to protect the beans. Regardless of the temperature or relative humidity outside, both techniques will keep air and moisture out.
Adding hermetic cocoons
In reality, experiments done by Cafe Britt in Costa Rica and Peru discovered that adding hermetic cocoons to the storage stage before shipping decreased the sensory sense of deterioration, even in past-crop coffee. The sample housed in cocoons had a very nice flavor, despite being from the previous harvest and minor flowery flavor, while the control sample had a slight old flavor detectable in the cup, slight harshness.
