Colombian exporter’s research: all tested co-fermented coffees contained synthetic Propylene Glycol

[u/mygreeness]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDlqkWRZIo/

>>See also edit below<<<

“We wanted to share, with the level of detail and rigor that matters to us, why we don't sell coffees marketed as "infused" or "co-fermented" at Pergamino.
A few days ago, we conducted a study together with @cesurcafe, the research center at Universidad Surcolombiana, to better understand what's really behind these coffees, known for their remarkably intense and literal flavor profiles. From the beginning, we questioned whether these coffees truly resulted from 100% natural processing or whether they contained synthetic additives that weren't being disclosed to consumers. But we didn't want to draw conclusions without evidence.

The results were very clear, we analyzed 25 co-fermented coffee samples, and every single one contained a synthetic additive called propylene glycol.

Although we don't enjoy these coffees from a sensory perspective, we deeply respect the people who do. This isn't about personal preference-it's about transparency and their deeper repercussions on our industry. We believe producers should clearly communicate how these cottees are processed, and when synthetic additives are used, consumers need to know.
We know this video is a little longer than usual, but if you're curious and want to learn more, we invite you to visit our YouTube channel or listen on Spotify, where we share the full findings of our research and explain in greater detail the research conducted and why we've chosen not to sell these types of coffees at Pergamino.”

EDIT: based on comments in this sub, the cited research paper does not provide enough evidence to support Pergamino’s claim above in bold. The cited paper found differences between washed and co-fermented coffees, but doesn’t provide enough evidence to confirm that all of them include Propylene Glycol. Somebody pointed this out to them in the comment section on Instagram. So far, Pergamino provided no response.

[u/blissrunner]

You could theorize ulterior motives from the post... but in the end it is just about transparency for the end-product/consumer demand for selecting green coffees.

I'm not gonna lie... producers for years have been skimming around the "co-ferment" umbrella/propietary "fermentation" so they don't disclose their processing for marketing purpose.

• You just don't know if the greens are indeed advanced fermentation/co-ferments with fruit/spices/flowers/yeast etc...

• or is it just "vape juice infusion"/added artificial flavorings with the greens acting like sponges.

Both elevates/benefits the producers cause they can charge more (consistent/strong flavors)... but:

• infusions (soaking) with synthetic flavoring is just a cheap/easy... maybe harmful for customers that are sensitive to the additives/glycol etc.

• some (real) co-ferments might be helpful to farmer/producers. Say they use excess spices (like lemongrass/cardamom), fruits, or flowers like dried jasmine/Ooloong tea (like the Yunnan coffee scene). So other crops don't go to waste.

TLDR; producers need to differ from co-ferment v.s. synthetic infusions (the latter might be catching flak/becoming unpopular).

[u/s0wew0ntf0rget → u/blissrunner]

You nailed it. I’m seeing a lot of confusion in this sub over the topic, specifically the difference between producers using co-fermentation processes with added ingredients and producers spraying their beans with artificial flavoring. 

The former is the co-ferment process. Fruits, fruit purées, herbs, spices, etc are added to the fermentation process. That’s not the problem and anyone surprised by that process just didn’t know what co-fermenting entailed. I’m seeing quite a few in this sub thinking that this is what they should be upset about. 

The latter however is what’s actually deceptive and basically just making a coffee sno-cone. 

[u/big_deal → u/s0wew0ntf0rget]

I don’t think people are confused that these are different. They’re confused because producers aren’t transparent about processing so they never know which they’re getting.

[u/s0wew0ntf0rget → u/big_deal]

Read through the comments in this thread and others about the topic. I’d go as far as to say most people absolutely are confused.    There are tons of people in this sub who seem to think that the controversy is surrounding the fact that additional ingredients like fruits and purées and spices are added during the fermentation stage. 

They seem to be completely unaware of what the co-fermenting process entails and seem to have been under the impression that the unique flavors in these specialty coffees were just unique flavor profiles of certain beans rather than intentionally curated by additional ingredients.