Nucoffee reveals specialty coffees produced with new fermentation technique

Nucoffee, Syngenta's coffee platform, revealed the list of the 50 best lots produced using the controlled fermentation technique, during a live broadcast that was part of the International Coffee Week program. The highlight was the top 10 in the ranking, which reached grades above 86.8 points. According to the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) Sensory Assessment Methodology, used around the world, Special Coffee is any coffee that reaches at least 80 points on the scale, which goes from 0 to 100.

The new fermentation technique emerged from a partnership between Syngenta and the Fermentation Studies Center (Nefer) of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), and opened doors to a new profile of specialty coffee in Brazil. Leading the research, professor Rosane Schwan identified natural yeasts in the fruit, capable of intensifying its aroma, flavor and quality, significantly increasing its score.

"After a long journey of studies and learning, today we have gathered and presented the first large-scale results of the project Nucoffee Artisans, which aims to correlate these new profiles with the changes promoted by fermentation in the grain. The results will vary according to the conditions of each origin, but we observed a consistent repetition of the sensory profiles, year after year, on each farm. This makes it easier to develop lasting commercial relationships and, thus, further boost international trade in Brazilian specialty coffee", highlighted Juan Gimenes, Nucoffee Innovations Manager.

Nucoffee Artisans

According to Juan, 320 farms participated in this first stage of the project, which yielded more than 600 lots. The grains were classified according to the SCA methodology, under the supervision of renowned specialist Silvio Leite, who coordinated the evaluation stages until their final phase, with the collaboration of 9 more Q-Graders - a global certification given to classification and tasting professionals. cafes. Below is the list of the top 10 placed.

Lauro Siqueira and Maria Helena, from the Palmital farm, located in the Mantiqueira de Minas region, obtained three lots in the top 10 (1st, 2nd and 9th places). "This project is the future of coffee. We will certainly increase production of this new technique in the next harvest," said Lauro. "The aroma we achieved with controlled fermentation is very good. Our coffee had a fruity smell of ripe peach. The result was really great, above expectations", added Maria Helena.

Jorge Fernando Naimeg, from the Pântano farm in Cerrado Mineiro, took 3rd place. The coffee grower celebrated the possibility of maintaining the sensorial and qualitative level in all harvests. "We wanted to produce a coffee with the same high profile every year, and thanks to this project we will achieve it. The controlled fermentation brought a more intense acidity to the beans, which added a lot of quality. It is a new segment of coffee", he highlighted .

Expert Silvio Leite stated that the flavors achieved are a revolution in the coffee chain, in addition to proving that science has a lot to contribute to the evolution of the sector. "The most interesting thing is the enormous complexity of the profiles produced, some more fruity, others more like rapadura, among many others. We have entered a new era of coffee growing", he commented.

Sustainability

Due to its environmental and innovative aspects, the project Nucoffee Artisans connects to the commitments made by the Syngenta Sustainable Agriculture Plan, which will invest US$2 billion in sustainable agriculture by 2025, in addition to launching two disruptive technologies each year to help producers face climate change.

"We started the second phase of our Sustainable Agriculture Plan in June this year, with new commitments, such as the fight against climate change and the loss of biodiversity, in addition to creating impactful partnerships, like the one we established with UFLA. By Through it, we learned to further maximize the quality of coffee, opening doors for coffee growers in the most demanding markets in the world", highlighted André Savino, General Director of Marketing at Syngenta.