**Table 1.**

the perishable coffee cherries into moderately stable green coffee beans. These green coffee beans have a moisture content of 10–12% to avoid undesired fermentation [5]. The popularity of the coffee product is associated with its distinctive organoleptic properties. Post-harvest management activities conducted to obtain suitably dried coffee beans for roasting and significantly contribute to the quality of the coffee beverage [6]. Post-harvest processing changes the chemical composition of green coffee beans that directly or indirectly influences the quality and end products [3, 7, 8]. These activities include a series of complicated steps including cherry harvesting, de-pulping, fermenting, drying, storage, and others. The

number of activities varies according to the type processing method. Right after the on-farm post-harvest process is finished, the coffee can be brought to the coffee industry where the semi-manufactured or complete products are made for

Production of speciality coffee needs a proper plan for harvesting the coffee cherries as it gives good economic returns for producers. The time of harvest varies

This strategy is usually done by machinery or by hand. The whole coffee cherries are harvested at one time. The harvested coffee may not achieve the desired quality due to the mixture of underripen or overripen coffee cherries. In order to use machinery for harvesting the coffee cherry, the following factors are critically important such as the topography, inclination, spacing, alignment, and the height of

in different places. According to the processing method to be implemented, harvesting the coffee cherries without causing damage to the tree is an important task. In most of the coffee-producing countries, coffee is harvested once per year. As the coffee cherries mature, the coffee fruit contains suitable chemical compositions which lead the fruit to the best quality [10]. The coffee fruit also contains volatile compounds that are responsible for the aroma and flavour properties of the coffee. These compounds are present at a very low amount at the early stage of the coffee cherry, but later on, it increases as the coffee transformed to the maturity stage [10]. There are two strategies (strip and selective picking) for harvesting the

**2. Coffee harvesting and its impact on coffee quality**

commercialization [9].

*Coffee - Production and Research*

coffee cherries, which are widely used.

**2.1 Strip picking**

**Figure 1.**

**60**

*The coffee cherry anatomy.*

*Composition of coffee pulp.*


#### **Table 2.**

*Chemical composition of coffee mucilage.*

**Figure 2.**

*The cherries of different varieties of* Coffea arabica*.*

the plant [11]. Considering these factors, the producer should choose the right harvesting system that suits their crop.

#### **2.2 Selective picking**

The major challenges in the coffee sector are obtaining uniform maturity, and at the same time, it is the procedure to provide consistent quality coffee. It is important to note that in most flowering plants the climatic condition during the growing period can change the number of flowering plants which affect the maturation uniformity [12]. In this harvesting system, only the ripened coffee cherries are harvested selectively by hand from the whole tree or branches. The harvested coffee meets the standards due to the uniformity of the cherries. This strategy needs several picking rounds and is labour-intensive. Considering the advantage and disadvantages of both harvesting strategies is the key for coffee growers. The coffee cherry has different layers that surround the beans, such as skin, pulp, mucilage, parchment, silver skin, and finally, the coffee beans (**Figure 1**).

*3.1.1 Wet processing*

*Coffee processing methods.*

**Figure 3.**

**63**

This processing method demands the use of some particular facilities and ample amounts of water. When this method adequately implemented, it maintained the inherent quality of coffee beans and produced uniform green coffee beans with minimum defectives. Arabica coffee is widely obtained using wet-processing method except in some countries like Ethiopia, Brazil, and Yemen where they processed in both wet- and dry-processing system, although few percentages of robusta coffee are obtained in this method. Right after harvesting, the coffee cherries are washed and then de-pulped using a machine. The coffee mucilage has pectin substances (polysaccharides), and it has a sticky nature and is challenging to get rid of using water. After de-pulping, chemicals mostly enzymes used to remove mucilage or the natural fermentation proceeds depend upon the environmental condition and fruit ripeness [15]. Natural plant enzymes are present in the coffee fruit that facilitates the degradation of mucilage; however, it is not enough for a full and sufficient process [17]. Microorganisms are responsible for degrading the polysaccharide substances from the parchment coffee. Finally, after fermentation the end product is a "parchment" or "washed" coffee [18]. The type of coffee processing methods (wet and dry) that are performed to obtain the green beans determined the flavour properties and created a typical quality difference [3, 19]. Several reports also stated the final cup quality and chemical composition are also defined by the adopted method in wet processing [20–22]. The effect of different modified wet-processing methods on the final quality of coffee is evaluated and compared by Gonzalez-Rios et al. [21]. Coffee obtained using wet-processing method is considered as a high-quality coffee and received a higher price compared

*The Harvest and Post-Harvest Management Practices' Impact on Coffee Quality*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89224*

The pulp and mucilage are rich in nutrients, and its chemical compositions are presented in **Tables 1** and **2**. These days the coffee pulps are being used for making a coffee wine by fermenting the coffee pulp. So far, there are two patents already registered in Korea. The ripe coffee cherries have colour ranges from bright red to deep red and yellow, depending on the plant variety and for ripe cherries. The different varieties of arabica coffee cherries are presented in **Figure 2**.
