Physicochemical and sensory differences between cascara kombucha made from red and green coffee cherries from the slopes of Mount Merapi

One of the issues faced by coffee farmers on the slopes of Mount Merapi is the separation process of red and green coffee cherries during harvest. Green or unripe cherries, are suspected to have more acidic, less sweet, and astringent taste due to the incomplete formation of sugars and flavor compounds. Cascara, or coffee cherry husk had not used in coffee processing, poses environmental problems due to its corrosive characteristics. One method to enhance cascara is by fermenting it into kombucha drink to improve its flavor and antioxidant capacity. This study aims to differentiate its physicochemical and sensory aspects between kombucha cascara, made with and without sorting of coffee cherries. Cascara was fermented using SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) for 14 days. The pH value, color, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content were analyzed, while sensory aspect was conducted using Check-All-That-Apply method and hedonic tests. Kombucha cascara has no significant value in physicochemical analysis except in yellow hue. Kombucha with unsorted cascara exhibited dominant characteristics of fermented, acid, sweet, vinegar, and sparkling, while cascara with sorting process showed more dominant sweet profile. Comparative results with commercial kombucha tea indicated that sorted kombucha cascara provided the best taste score.