Publicaciones Científicas Externas

Metataxonomic Identification of Microorganisms during the Coffee Fermentation Process in Colombian Farms (Cesar Department)

Carmenza Esther Góngora — 2024-03-09

Journal Rank: Q1 (Food Science & Technology)

The metataxonomic diversity and microbial composition of microorganisms during the coffee fermentation process as well as their relationship with coffee quality were determined across 20 farms in the department of Cesar, Colombia, by sampling coffee fruits from Coffea arabica; Var. Castillo General®, Var. Colombia, and Var. Cenicafé 1. In each farm, the fruits were processed and the fermentation process took place between 10 and 42 h following this. Three samples of mucilage and washed coffee seeds were collected per farm during the fermentation process. The microorganisms present in the mucilage were identified using metataxonomic methods by amplifying the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and ITS for fungi. The microorganisms’ morphotypes were isolated and identified. The analysis of bacteria allowed for the identification of the following genera: Gluconobacter, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter, Frateuria, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Tatumella, and Weisella, as well as unclassified enterobacteria; the Lactobacillacea and Secundilactobacillus families were only identified in the Var. Cenicafé 1. For fungi, the top 11 genera and families found included Hanseniaspora, Candida, Meyerozyma, Wickerhamomyces, Pichia, f-Saccharomycodaceae, f-Nectriciae, unclassified fungi, and Saccharomycetaceae, which were only found in Cenicafé 1. A total of 92% of the coffee samples obtained scored between 80.1 and 84.9, indicating “Very Good” coffee (Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scale). Farms with the longest fermentation times showed better coffee attributes related to acidity, fragrance, and aroma. During coffee fermentation, there is a central microbiome. The differences between the microorganisms’ genera could be influenced by the coffee variety, while the specific conditions of each farm (i.e., altitude and temperature) and its fermentation processes could determine the proportions of and interactions between the microbial groups that favor the sensory characteristics responsible for coffee cup quality.

Góngora, C. E., Holguín-Sterling, L., Pedraza-Claros, B., Pérez-Salinas, R., Ortiz, A., & Navarro-Escalante, L. (2024). Metataxonomic Identification of Microorganisms during the Coffee Fermentation Process in Colombian Farms (Cesar Department). Foods, 13(6), 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13060839

Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Flower-Visiting Insects in Coffee Crops

Juan Diego Maldonado-Cepeda — 2024-02-21

Journal Rank: Q1 (Entomology)

Floral-visiting insects and pollinators play an important role in ecosystem services, and consequently, their identification and study are essential to their adequate preservation and management in crops of agricultural interest. Coffee is a worldwide commodity; however, the diversity of insects that visit its flowers has been little studied. The objective of this research was to quantify the abundance, richness, and functional diversity of coffee floral-visiting insects, especially bees. The results showed that coffee crops host a wide diversity of flower visitors, especially bees, which could be beneficial for productivity and contribute to the maintenance of plant species that accompany coffee cultivation.

Varying fruit loads modified leaf nutritional status, photosynthetic performance, and bean biochemical composition of coffee trees

Andrés Felipe León-Burgos — 2024-02-16

Journal Rank: Q1 (Agronomy and Crop Science)

Changes in the intensity of the sink organs in coffee trees can alter photosynthetic activity and accumulation of nutrients at the foliar level and increase the magnitude of malformed fruits, as well as affecting bean biochemical composition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different intensities of fruits load on photosynthetic performance, nutritional status, yield, and bean biochemical composition of Coffea arabica trees established under full sun field-grown conditions. The evaluations were carried out on three-year-old "Cenicafé 1? variety trees after their establishment in the field. Nine treatments (fruit load), of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 % according to total crop load, were applied at the whole-plant level. Gas exchange, nutrient composition, chlorophylls, and soluble sugars were determined in the leaves. Yield components, sugars, organic acids, and alkaloid concentration were determined in the fruits and beans. With a high fruit load, significant leaf nutrient concentration changes were detected, with deficiencies in nitrogen, potassium, sulphur and copper. Furthermore, significant decreases in the chlorophyll content and stability, as well as in the total soluble sugars at the leaf level, were reported. On the other hand, it is evident that the production per plant was higher, although the number of malformed fruits increased with elevated fruit load. Finally, accumulation of sugars, organic acids, and alkaloids in the bean was modified as a function of the increase in fruit load. These results indicate that, in coffee “Cenicafé 1? variety trees with high fruit load, the nutrient concentration decreased to critical levels considered to nutritional deficiencies, which modified photosynthetic performance, number of malformed fruits, and bean biochemical composition.

León-Burgos, A. F., Rendón, J. R., Quinchua, L. C. I., Unigarro, C. A., Osorio, V., Khalajabadi, S. S., & Balaguera-López, H. E. (2024). Varying fruit loads modified leaf nutritional status, photosynthetic performance, and bean biochemical composition of coffee trees. Scientia Horticulturae, 329, 113005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2024.113005

Thermal requirements and estimation of the number of generations of Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Méneville, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) in Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Marisol Giraldo-Jaramillo — 2024-01-29

Journal Rank: Q1 (Agronomy and Crop Science)

Unfavorable climate conditions with asynchronous rainy periods and relatively high temperatures during 2019 led to increasing outbreaks of Leucoptera coffeella in some coffee-producing regions of Minas Gerais. L. coffeella is one of the most significant insect pests of coffee crops worldwide. The present study used the thermal requirements of L. coffeella to determine the climatic zones that favor its development in Minas Gerais. Biological experiments on L. coffeella were conducted in the laboratory and in the field. In the laboratory, L. coffeella was studied in incubators at 18, 22, 25, 28, 30, 32 and 35 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 10% RH, a photoperiod of 14:10 h [L:D] and with leaves from C. arabica, var. Obata. In the field, 125 eggs were collected from 18 of the 24 total leaves on each branch, for a total of 500 eggs. The results indicated a temperature threshold (Ttemp) of 13.6 °C and a thermal constant (K) of 228.5°-days. This laboratory estimate of thermal requirements and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were combined to generate insect life-span distribution maps for Minas Gerais. In this state, the coffee leaf miner can produce approximately 8–16 generations annually, and thermal conditions are suitable year-round for L. coffeella attack; however, population dynamics are modulated by rainfall. The biological data for L. coffeella obtained in the laboratory were similar to those found in the field. This information could be used in integrated pest-management programs to forecast L. coffeella outbreaks and population growth based on favorable thermal conditions and monthly rainfall distribution, which in turn could be used to define zones for this pest under different climatic conditions.

Citation:

Giraldo-Jaramillo, M., Quiroga-Mosquera, A., & Fernandes, F. L. (2024). Thermal requirements and estimation of the number of generations of Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Méneville, 1842) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Crop Protection, 175, 106483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2023.106483

Diversity of bacterial symbionts associated with the tropical plant bug Monalonion velezangeli (Hemiptera: Miridae) revealed by high-throughput 16S-rRNA sequencing

Lucio Navarro-Escalante — 2024-01-29

Insects and microbes have developed complex symbiotic relationships that evolutionarily and ecologically play beneficial roles for both, the symbiont and the host. In most Hemiptera insects, bacterial symbionts offer mainly nutritional, defensive, and reproductive roles in addition to promoting the adaptive radiation of several hemipteran phytophagous lineages. The tropical plant bug Monalonion velezangeli (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a polyphagous herbivore considered an important insect pest for several economically relevant tropical crops, but information about the composition of its bacterial microbiota was missing. In this study, we describe the diversity and structure of the bacterial microbiota in the nymph and adult life stages of M. velezangeli using Illumina high-throughput sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicons (meta-barcoding). We found that both insect life stages share a similar microbiota in terms of bacterial diversity and community structure. The intracellular symbiont Wolbachia dominated the overall microbiome composition (~92%) in these life stages. Members of the core microbiota include Wolbachia, Romboutsia, Ignavibacterium, Clostridium, Allobaculum, Paracoccus, Methylobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Collinsella, Rothia, Sphingomonas and 4 other undetermined bacterial genera. Based on PCR screening and DNA sequencing of the wsp gene, Wolbachia infection was confirmed in almost 80% of samples, and represented by two different isolates or strains within the supergroup B. This data offers opportunities for studying the contribution of symbiotic bacteria in the biological performance of this insect pest, and provides a base to explore other insect control methods.

Content of Acidic Compounds in the Bean of Coffea arabica L., Produced in the Department of Cesar (Colombia), and Its Relationship with the Sensorial Attribute of Acidity

Luz Fanny Echeverri-Giraldo — 2024-02-07

Journal Rank: Q3 (Analytical Chemistry)

Cesar, a coffee-growing department in Colombia, has particular characteristics that favor the production of coffees differentiated by sensory profile, for which the acidity attribute stands out. The chemical composition and sensory quality of the coffee produced by 160 coffee growers during two production harvests (2021 and 2022) and processed by the wet method were evaluated to correlate the contents of the main acidic chemical compounds present in green coffee beans with the perceived acidity of the beverage. The chemical analysis of coffee samples utilized spectrophotometric methods and HPLC-DAD techniques. Lactic, 3,5-di-CQA and phosphoric acids were good discriminators of acidity classified as excellent; that is, with a score higher than 7.75 on the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scale, presenting the highest contents in the green coffee bean. There was a direct linear relationship between acidity and 3,5-di-CQA and 5-CQA and an inverse relationship between acidity and 3-CQA, 4-CQA and 4,5-CQA. These findings contribute to the understanding of the quality and chemistry of Colombian coffee.