Roasted coffee beans characterization through optoelectronic color sensing

Abstract

The degree of roasting of the coffee determines the physical properties of the bean which are directly represented in the quality of the coffee, to classify the coffee bean efficiently represents a challenge that has been addressed from different technological approaches with colorimeters. This research aims to simplify the identification of the roast level of ground coffee on the Agtron scale by characterizing the degree of roast using an optoelectronic color sensor and establishing a correlation between the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) scales. This allows for the assurance of quality levels of the beans right from the roasting process. This research comprehends the collection and preparation of samples, the definition of RGB and CIE L*a*b* values, and their interpretation in the Agtron scale using the red component of the RGB scale. The results showed an efficient and accurate estimation for the roast degree of ground coffee beans (0.1371 MSE) that uses minimum processing requirements and a function to assess the intermediate values in the Agtron scale. The characterization of the roast degree of ground coffee beans using data collected from an optoelectronic color sensor through a high-precision function with a linear structure enables the description of intermediate values not fully represented on the Agtron scale. This enhances the process of identifying the roast degree, facilitating subsequent quality assurance processes by maintaining the beans at the desired roast level.