Characterization Of Potato Taste Defect In Rwandan Green Coffee Beans

Sue Jackels, PhD

Thousands of impoverished coffee farmers in Rwanda are being driven further into poverty due to a potato taste epidemic in their crops. Our Rwandan coffee has been afflicted by a flavor defect called potato taste defect (PTD), which renders the beans unpalatable and unsellable, the exact cause of which is unknown. Dr. Jackels has been working as part of a collaboration with Rogers Family Coffee Company, one of the largest buyers of Rwandan coffee, in order to help isolate the cause of PTD. Our research goal is to establish the chemical profile of PTD through the surface volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) present on affected green coffee beans. We hope to relate the compound(s) to the organisms or processing problems responsible for PTD so that a solution to can be found. To characterize the SVOCs, we use solid-phase micro-extraction to adsorb volatiles in a headspace vial filled with green coffee. Then, we transfer the compounds into a gas chromatograph for separation and a mass spectrometer for compound analysis

Jackels, S.

Seattle University - Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability