Influência do herbicida glifosato na composição química e na qualidade de cafés arábica e conilon

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, and to maintain crop productivity, various management techniques are employed, such as the application of herbicides. The most widely used product for this purpose is glyphosate, which has systemic action and works by inhibiting the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3- phosphate synthase, part of the shikimate pathway. This pathway is responsible for the formation of phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine, amino acids that play key roles in plant growth and secondary metabolism. If the production of these amino acids is not compensated through another pathway, the chemical composition and, consequently, the quality of glyphosate-treated coffee may differ from untreated coffee. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of glyphosate use on the chemical composition and sensory profile of arabica and conilon coffees harvested in different crop years. Arabica Catuaí and Conilon Diamante 108 coffee beans were subjected to seven treatments (six with glyphosate and one negative control), corresponding to different spray nozzles (fan and conic) and application times (October and December; October and February; and October, December, and February) of Round Up WG in the inter-row areas of the coffee plants. After evaluating moisture, ash, yield, glyphosate content, chlorogenic acids, caffeine, volatile compounds, and sensory profile through chemometric analyses, it was observed that a longer interval between glyphosate application and coffee harvest resulted in lower glyphosate content in the beans. Despite being translocated to the bean, glyphosate did not alter the chemical composition or sensory profile of Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora.