Moisture Protection For Shipping Green Coffee

Each packaging option was evaluated on its cost, how it protected against water, and the change in cupping results of pre-ship and landed samples. 

Of the four, Chunwang and the liner were the least expensive, each costing less than $100 per container. 

As far as protection against water, while the two desiccant bags protect against moisture, they do not stop water from getting in. 

The GrainPro and liner, however, each protected the coffee from water. As for the variance in cupping results of pre-ship and landed samples, our experiment showed that the coffees transported in containers with liners showed the most consistency. All eight shipments showed less than a one-point difference between pre-shipped samples and landed samples.

The preliminary data gave us some indications of how to protect green coffee from water during the transporting process, but we were interested in digging deeper.

The moisture content of coffee beans:

The International Coffee Organization states that dried green coffee beans should have a moisture content of 8 to 12.5%, with the exception of “speciality coffees that traditionally have a highmoisture content

Mold in Coffee Beans 

Tiny Amounts of Molds and Mycotoxins Are Found in Some Coffee Beans. Several studies have found measurable levels of mycotoxins in coffee beans — both roasted and unroasted — as well as brewedcoffee

Wet, wet, wet

If the moisture level in a coffee bean reaches more than 12.5%, it becomes prone to fungus growth, which has the potential to render an entire container full of coffee beans unfit for consumption.

There are methods that can be adopted when ‘stuffing’ (i.e. filling) a container to ensure that the effects of condensation and excess moisture are minimised. Before any coffee is ‘stuffed’, the container should be lined with cardboard or a double layer of brown paper. The bags of coffee should then be stacked in overlapping layers, like house bricks (known as a ‘saddle stow’), rather than stacked one on top of the other. This reduces the air gaps between the bags, limiting the opportunities for moisture to circulate.

The bags themselves should be of suitable strength and thickness to avoid damage and spillage during loading and unloading, ideally something more than the traditional hessian – Grainpro bags or even vacuum packing.

The position of the container on the ship must also be considered. Containers at the top of the heap on the deck are more likely to be exposed to extremes of temperature, either with the sun beating down on them in the summer, or snow falling on them in the winter. Stowage below the waterline is what most shippers will request, with further specifications that storage be as far from the engine room as possible to reduce heat radiation.

Moisture Prevention -Container Desiccant  

Performance: keep your container dry, your coffee beans against moisture damage 

Composition：high absorption agent calcium chloride and starch 

Sizes available:500gm, 1000gm,1500gm,2000gm

Types: individual bags or hanging strips of desiccant

Dosage: 6-8 kilos inside 20ft, 14-16 kilos inside 40ft