Effect of Fermentation Period on Raw and Intresenic Quality of Sidama and Yirgacheffee Coffee Type

Coffee quality can be affected by variety, climate and soil factor, field management practices and post-harvest handling and processing techniques. The study was undertaken in Dilla zuria and Yirgacheffee districts, representing the known Sidama Yirgacheffee coffee brands, respectively, in South National Nationalities Peoples' Regional State. The objective of study were to examine the effect of fermentation time in raw quality and intrinsic of Sidama and Yirgacheffee coffees and to determine optimum duration of fermentation that can maintaining the quality of Sidama and Yirgacheffee specialty coffee .For this, fully ripe red cherries were hand collected from local coffee types . The harvested cherries were separately study under wet processing with five fermentation time (0, 24, 36, 48 and 60 hr) at the two locations. In each case the treatment arranged in factorial experiment in completely randomized design with three replication. Data on raw quality and cup quality (green bean shape and make, odour, color, acidity, body, flavour, cup quality and PH of water) were recorded .The result indicated that shape and make of green bean, the other quality parameters (color, odor, raw quality, acidity, body, flavour, cup and total quality as well as PH of water) were significantly different due to fermentation period at both sites. The PH of fermentation water was noted to decrease with time, indicating increased water acidity with extend fermentation process. Among the fermentation treatments, the respectively best quality coffees were obtained at the 36 hr and 48 hr fermentation time for the Sidama and Yirgacheffee types, reflecting the influence of altitude and climatic variables. The result finding also demonstrated that Yirgacheffee coffee was better than Sidama coffee types in terms of quality attributes, possible due to positively effect of increased altitude in terms of quality attributes, but farther research should be done by considering present physical and sensory attributes, other compounds and biochemical constitutes (caffeine, sugar, etc.) with the view of mapping the quality profile of Sidama and Yirgacheffee coffee grown under the various site and environmental condition.