In recent years, the role of microbial communities in agricultural systems has received increasing attention, particularly concerning their impact on plant health and productivity. However, the influence of host plant genetic factors on the microbial composition of coffee plants remains largely unexplored. This study provides the first comprehensive investigation into how genotype affects the microbial communities present in the rhizosphere and fruits of Coffea canephora. Conducted on a commercial coffee farm in Brazil, we analyzed six genotypes of C. canephora var. Conilon. Soil and fruit samples were collected from which microbial DNA was extracted and sequenced, targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16 S rDNA and the ITS1 region for fungi. A total of 12,239,769 reads were generated from the 16 S rDNA and ITS1 regions. The PCoA revealed distinct patterns of beta diversity, with genotype 153 exhibiting significant isolation in soil bacterial communities. The dominant bacterial orders included Rhizobiales and Rhodobacterales, while the fungal community comprised diverse taxa from Saccharomycetales and Hypocreales. LEfSe analysis identified key metagenomic biomarkers, highlighting genotype Baiano 4 for its richness in fruit-associated taxa, whereas genotype 153 exhibited lower diversity in both soil and fruit samples. This work enhances our understanding of the microbiomes associated with different coffee genotypes, providing evidence of how host genetic variation influences microbial community composition. Our findings indicate that specific microbial taxa are enriched in the fruits and soil of various genotypes. Future research should focus on identifying these microorganisms and elucidating their specific functions within the rhizosphere and coffee fruits.

The sensory profile from the Coffea canephora stands out for being denser, less sweet, presenting less acidity, and having characteristics of a marked aroma of roasted cereals. Coffee is essentially a terroir product, that is, directly influenced by environmental aspects, both natural and anthropic, in this sense, it has been argued that Coffea canephora is linked to the context of inferior coffees in sensory terms by the terroir conditions. This study aimed to characterize and investigate the terroir in different areas of Conilon coffee production, with the application of different fermentation methods, and to observe their possible gains and losses in the sensory quality of Coffea canephora. Cherry coffee samples were collected in six municipalities in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, which has an altitude variation from 376 m to 866 m. The study showed that the local characteristics of altitude and temperature directly influence the sensory quality, as well as demonstrated that natural fermentation in a specific altitude zone delivered good results, fixing the terroir factor. Finally, it was demonstrated that induced fermentation helps to improve sensory quality for higher altitude areas, indicating the possibility of reformulating the terroir of Conilon coffee production.

Among the different strategies adopted to improve the quality of Coffea canephora, fermentation is considered a promising technology to modulate the organoleptic characteristics of the beverage. Considering the possibility of providing a change in sensory profile through fermentation, this study aims to evaluate the chemical and sensory changes promoted by carbonic maceration in C. canephora whose effect is still unknown. The study was implemented in anaerobic conditions with different fermentation times (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h) and temperatures (18, 28, and 38 °C). The processed grains were subject to sensory analysis and medium infrared spectroscopy. Significant linear functional relationships were observed between total score and temperature for fermentation times of 24, 72, and 96 h and that the total score increased with fermentation temperature. Although a clear connection with sensory results was not observed, infrared analysis was able to point out important correlations with quality through stretches observed in infrared spectrum regions. Thus, there is feasibility of applying the carbonic maceration technique for grain processing of C. canephora.