Biotechnology in Coffee Fermentation
César López, the microbiologist, and expert in bacterial ecosystems presented to us the great variety of microorganisms that exist within the coffee cherries that are found in the coffee ecosystems. These ecosystems provide the biodiversity that gives as a result complex and delicious coffees that are produced in Colombia. Within the coffee plantations, there are bacterial environments that can be incorporated back into the coffee, potentiating all of its attributes and making the beverage something much better.
Biotechnology, in its general definition, uses a sum of processes, techniques, and methods in a diversity of microorganisms or derivatives of them, such as certain fungi and bacteria, to obtain an endless number of products, for example, antibiotics and foodstuffs.
As such, it is not a new science; many ancient civilizations, for more than 12,000 years, used microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts in fermentations to make bread, beer or wine, and Lactobacillus species in the production of cheese and yogurt.
In the case of coffee, thanks to biotechnology, systems, and protocols have been developed that allow producers to improve their post-harvest processes through more controlled fermentations. As a consequence, they are able to increase the quality of their coffee cup and gain access to more competitive markets by offering a differentiated product.
In the fermentation processes, this has been one of the most innovative so far, since using the same microorganisms of the plant or its ecosystem potentiates the fruit and the flavor.
Cesar tells us a little about how he carries out this process, beginning with the collection of the best fruits of his coffee and then cultivating and extracting all the microorganisms, and after a few days making a smear and creating a medium where they can multiply. In this way, we achieve that the biodiversity of the coffee can be incorporated again into the coffee process, in this case in the fermentation process.
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