Physicochemical stability and sensory quality of selected Ethiopian coffee (Coffea arabica L.) brands as affected by packaging materials during storage

Ethiopia's economy heavily relies on coffee, the country's primary export. However, there is a need for improvement in the current packaging materials for parchment coffee during extended storage. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of four different packaging materials (Jute, Woven Polypropylene internally lined with low-density propylene, Grain Pro, and Purdue Improved Crop Storage) on the quality of three brands of Parchment Coffee (Limu, Sidama, and Yirgacheffe) stored for 12 months. The results demonstrated that hermetic packaging materials like Purdue Improved Crop Storage and Grain Pro bags outperformed the Jute bag control in maintaining the original coffee quality throughout the storage period. There was a significant interaction between the coffee brands and the packaging materials for most measured parameters, except bioactive compounds. Notably, Sidama and Yirgacheffe brands stored in hermetic bags consistently achieved cup quality values above 80 %, meeting the requirements for specialty coffee grade. However, the Limu brand did not meet the specialty coffee criteria. The study recommends using hermetic storage materials such as PICS and Grain Pro bags for extended coffee storage. By adopting these methods, the renowned Ethiopian coffee brands can uphold their exceptional quality standards in the international market and ensure customer satisfaction.