Bioreactor for coffee fermentation (Design, operation, and applications): A review

Abstract

Fermentation is an important step in washing and producing specialty coffee. Bioreactors are apparatuses capable of supporting biologically active materials under controlled conditions during the fermentation process. They enable the production of high concentrations of microorganisms, cells, or cellular products. In laboratory-scale designs, microbiological and enzymatic processes are performed in a certain volume of liquid media in the presence of oxygen, pressure, light, or heat in a well or a flask. The key parameters that should be observed according to biological goals are dissolved gas and substrate concentrations, agitation, temperature, pH, and light incidence. Consequently, the success of the fermentative process mainly depends on the knowledge and advanced technology used in the bioreactors.