The Department of Science and Technology Region I - Research and Development and International Linkages Program Management Center (DOST-I RDILPMC) is pushing for the adoption of coffee processing technologies during the 3rd episode of TechTalk with the theme “Tara, Kape?” aired on 27 June 2022 via Zoom and Facebook live.
TechTalk is a webinar series that promotes DOST-generated and -funded technologies and projects. TechTalk: Tara, Kape? featured the coffee processing technologies from the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech). The development of the technology was funded by the DOST Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD). Also discussed during the program was the coffee geographical origin identification project under the Food Authenticity and Traceability (FAT) Program of the DOST-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) and La Salle Food and Water Institute (LSFWI).
DOST-I Regional Director Armando Q. Ganal said, “I am also proud to say that the best Robusta coffee can actually be found in the Ilocos Region specifically in Sigay, Ilocos
Sur. Mr. Mabini Ubuan’s Robusta coffee beans won 1st place for two consecutive years already in the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition. This year, we have two runners-up from Ilocos Sur as well. The innovations and initiatives that will be presented today can further strengthen the coffee industry not only in the region but the whole country.”
Small coffee farms still have low yields, poorly processed coffee products, and low generated income even if the demand for coffee is high. Dr. Helen F. Martinez, Supervising Science Research Specialist of PHilMech, presented the interventions made by PHilMech to enhance the postharvest, processing, and marketing systems for the small coffee growers in the Philippines. DOST-PCAARRD funded the coffee postharvest technologies developed by PHilMech, namely: the coffee pulper (arabica coffee), coffee solar dryer (all coffee varieties), and coffee moisture meter. All of these are available for transfer and commercialization. Furthermore, they also developed a postharvest system using match coffee technologies and established a viable and sustainable community-based coffee processing enterprise models in strategic areas.
Know your coffee
The value of coffee is dictated by its quality. When a high-quality food product becomes popular, it becomes susceptible to food adulteration and fraud which results to economic loss, lower food quality, and adverse health effects. The FAT program addresses this problem by using multi-elemental and multi-stable isotope analysis fingerprinting. According to Dr. Emmanuel V. Garcia, Director of LSFWI, the variations in soil factors, processing and management practices, geographical, and climatic conditions enable the detection of adulteration and fingerprinting of food commodities. In addition to coffee, the FAT program also includes cacao, honey, and mango.
With the increasing demand for single-origin products, geographical identification is important because it adds exponential value to the product. Dr. Garcia shared that the value of an award-winning coffee without a price ceiling can reach up to five (5) times the global price. The issue about civet cat coffee was also brought up during the open forum.
“To drink is to believe. Is there really quality coffee? Yes. Is quality coffee expensive? Yes. Do customers buy it even if it is expensive? Yes. If you supply or sell quality coffee, you will have a market,” Dr. Martinez answered.
Furthermore, Dr. Garcia stressed the importance of producing high quality coffee that will benefit both producers and consumers.
“We have to think about how we should be consuming coffee in a sustainable manner. So ako, andoon na ako sa point na umiinom ako ng one cup a day pero sinisiguro ko na iyong isang cup na iniinom ko araw-araw would be the best coffee I can drink for that day – which is good for the industry because this is now the kind of coffee that will put pressure on the producers, a good kind of pressure, to produce quality coffee,” Dr. Garcia added.
To close the program, Annalie L. Rosales, head of DOST-I RDILPMC said, “Enjoy your coffee, as well as be aware paano ba ang nagiging process ng coffee. Alam na natin, may idea na tayo kahit papano [kung] paano nagiging from bean to our cup iyong mga kape natin.” (By Engr. Maura Andrea A. Ortega, DOST-I)
