Inoculation of starter cultures in dry processing enhanced the contents of bioactive compounds and sensory characteristics of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.)

Coffee is an economically important crop and one of the most consumed beverages worldwide. Despite the beneficial potential of microbes in coffee fermentation, studies on their application in dry-processed coffee are lacking. Therefore, we evaluated the microbiological, chemical, and sensory changes in Arabica coffee cherries inoculated with Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC), and Aspergillus oryzae during dry processing. Inoculation with these three starter cultures altered the chemical profile of fermented coffee cherries and nearly doubled the 5-caffeoylquinic acid content in the bean compared to the uninoculated group. Additionally, microorganism-inoculated coffee beans showed markedly increased antioxidative capacities. Sensory evaluation revealed improved scores for all inoculated coffees, with SC-inoculated coffee achieving the highest sensory score (84.00 +/- 0.25), while the uninoculated group received 80.17 +/- 1.04 (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that inoculating specific microorganisms during dry processing can enhance coffee quality by improving the bioactive compound contents and sensory characteristics.