The natural occurrence of fungi in coffee fruits is considered an important factor influencing the quality of coffee. The negative effect of some Aspergillus species in coffee, which can also affect safety of the product, is well known. Otherwise, there are reports describing the positive influence of fungi in coffee quality, but they are limited to the occurrence of Cladosporium sp. in fruits, and its correlation with a product of good quality. Indeed, the exact information about the species involved and dynamics of colonization are not available. The objective of this work was to identify and characterize the species of Cladosporium, detected in coffee fruits, and study the dynamics of colonization of the fruits during the maturation process. The species found on coffee fruits was identified as Cladosporium cladosporioides (Fresen.) de Vries. and the dynamics of colonization showed the typical pattern of a saprophytic fungus, with its highest incidence when the fruits were in complete maturation stage.
coffee; quality; fungi
