A scarce amount of knowledge about the use of Colombian berry (CB) in meat products is available in the literature. This work studies the impact of the addition of CB extracts (CBE) on pork patties at three different concentrations in the range 250–750 mg/kg. CBE were characterized in terms of their polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, half maximal inhibitory antioxidant concentration (IC₅₀), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) tests)]. After pork patties elaboration, instrumental and sensorial colour, as well as lipid oxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) values, were evaluated for 10 days of refrigerated storage in a modified atmosphere (80% O₂–20% CO₂). The total anthocyanin composition represented 35% of the polyphenolic substances of the CBE, highlighting high contents in cyanidin derivatives. Additionally, other flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol compounds) and phenolics acids, substances positively related to antioxidant activity, were identified and quantified. In addition, the incorporation of CBE resulted in improvements in colour and lipid stability of pork patties, especially for the highest concentration used. Our findings demonstrated that CBE could be added to pork patties without impairing their sensorial profile. Overall, our results indicate that the use of CBE as a source of natural antioxidant, natural colourant, or even as a functional ingredient could be promising, but more studies are necessary to confirm it.

Coffee (Coffea arabica), produced and marketed in Ecuador and worldwide, can be organoleptically improved by means of microorganisms such as well-characterized yeasts. This study aimed to isolate and characterize yeasts from three postharvest fermentation processes (i.e., Natural aerobic at room temperature; Carbonic maceration with a CO₂ atmosphere at room temperature; and Carbonic refrigerated maceration with a CO₂ atmosphere to 10 °C) of coffee fruits in Ecuador. Phenotypic and molecular analyses were conducted on 329 yeast isolates obtained from coffee farms in Loja, Olmedo, and Gonzanamá. Three universal media were used for yeast isolation diversity, and phenotypic characterization included morphology, sugar fermentation, salt tolerance, and ethanol resistance. Molecular characterization involved DNA analysis. The isolated diversity was classified into 12 morphotypes, nine distinct biochemical groups and nine genetic species. Only six species (i.e., Kurtzmaniella quercitrusa, Hanseniaspora opuntiae, Pichia. kluyveri, Torulaspora delbrueckii, T. quercuum, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus) identified phylogenetically corresponded to the designated morphotypes. But surprisingly, nine genetic species matched with the nine biochemical groups determined phenotypically analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). Most of this diversity was found in the coffee plantation located in Gonzanamá, in contrast to Olmedo and Loja, without statistical significance (p value: 0.08295). On the other hand, the richness is not similar statistically (p value: 0.02991) between postharvest fermentation treatments. The findings suggest that the application of biochemical tests is useful for species determination, although morphological data may be ambiguous. Notably, Pichia kluyveri, detected in this study, holds potential for biotechnological evaluation in coffee fermentation processes.

The organoleptic profile of coffee is modulated by microbially mediated fermentation processes; thus, characterizing the coffee microbiome is essential for the specialty coffee industry. This research investigated three coffee farms in Loja, Ecuador, to determine the cultivable bacterial diversity in coffee cherries (Coffea arabica var. Geisha) subjected to different post-harvest processing methods. Bacteria were isolated on Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA), Blood Agar Base, and MacConkey Agar after a broth enrichment step. Isolates were initially grouped into 14 morphotypes (MT) based on colony morphology and Gram staining. Molecular identification was performed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, followed by phylogenetic analysis and Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) delimitation at a 99% identity threshold. Although 45 purified strains (19 Gram-positive and 26 Gram-negative) were initially clustered, morphological characterization showed significant taxonomic limitations compared with molecular tools. Molecular analysis identified nine genera and 19 bacterial genotypes, with Lactococcus lactis and Enterobacter spp. being the most frequently recovered and resilient taxa across all treatments. Statistical analyses (PERMANOVA and PCA) revealed no significant differences in bacterial community composition among post-harvest processes (Natural or Carbonic Maceration) or among farms, indicating that the predominant cultivable isolates remained consistent under the conditions evaluated, as presented here. According to the literature, several of the recovered species have functional roles in coffee fermentation, providing a baseline for the future development of starter cultures to optimize and standardize coffee sensory quality in southern Ecuador.

El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar el efecto de la adición de las cepas S-33 y S-04 de Saccharomyces cerevisiae y de Lactobacillus casei en la fermentación controlada, con el fin de determinar los atributos fisicoquímicos del café verde y su efecto en las características organolépticas. Haciendo uso de un modelo estadístico completamente al azar. Tanto para la cuantificación de polifenoles totales como para la de antioxidantes, los resultados se expresaron en mg EAc. gálico/mL de extracto. Para la determinación de DPPH, FRAP se utilizó como estándar Trolox (µmol ET/mL de extracto). Según la prueba de Tukey (P < 0.05), no se determinó diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la determinación de sólidos solubles (°Brix), pH, polifenoles totales y antioxidantes por ABTS y FRAP. Por otra parte, se halló diferencia estadística de actividad antioxidantes mediante DPPH, así como para los atributos organolépticos, los cuales muestran que el tratamiento S. cerevisiae S-33 con L. casei, se caracterizaron por tener mayor dulzor, cuerpo, acidez, presentando una alta correlación lineal positiva con una asociación directa con estos atributos y su actividad antioxidante; esto puede deberse a que los fenoles del café son hidrófilos, por lo cual se observaron diferencias para DPPH, y que implica un aspecto determinante en la actividad antioxidante a efectos del proceso de determinación de antioxidantes y la obtención de sus características sensoriales. Palabras clave: café; fermentación; ABTS; DPPH; FRAP; polifenoles. Physicochemical and organoleptic evaluation of arabica coffee subjected to controlled fermentation The objective of this study was to identify the independent effect of the addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae S-33 and S-04 strains and Lactobacillus casei on the physicochemical attributes of green coffee. Using a completely random statistical model. For both the quantification of total polyphenols and antioxidants, results were expressed as milligrams of gallic acid equivalent per milliliter of extract. For DPPH determination, FRAP was used as the Trolox standard. According to the Tukey test (P < 0.05), there was no statistically significant difference in the present study for the determination of soluble solids (or °Brixx), pH, total polyphenols, antioxidants by ABTS and FRAP. On the other hand, statistical differences were found in antioxidants using DPPH, as well as for organoleptic attributes, which show that the S. cerevisiae S-33 treatment with L. casei was characterized by greater sweetness, body, and acidity, presenting a high positive linear tension, and a direct association with these attributes. This may be due to the fact that coffee phenols are hydrophilic, which is why differences were observed for DPPH, which implies a determining aspect in the processes of determining antioxidants. And better sensory attributes through the addition of microorganisms Palavras-chave: coffee; fermentation; ABTS; DPPH; FRAP; polyphenols.