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Post-harvest processing · Quality

Green coffee storage and transport

How green coffee is kept and shipped between the dry mill and the roaster – warehouse, bag and container – and why warm, humid air and time make it age.

Source-checkedby Coffearium verification pass· Last source-checked 21 Oct 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 19 sources (17 tier A)· 4 contested· Updated 21 Oct 2026
Reading depth
Contents
  • Stored green coffee exchanges water with the air; the Codex code says it keeps drying below 60% relative humidity and absorbs water above 80%.1
  • The Codex code of practice says moisture should not exceed 12.5% anywhere from the loading area to unloading, storage or roasting.1
  • Warmth speeds ageing; in a 12-month trial, green coffee stored at 20 °C aged fastest, while coffee at −10 °C and 10 °C kept similarly well.13
  • In storage trials, hermetic and vacuum packs kept moisture and, in cool stores, cup quality better than jute, fique or paper bags; in a hot store every pack lost quality.8,9,10
  • In containers, temperature swings condense water under the roof that drips onto the top bags; dry loading, ventilation and lining reduce the risk.1,3,5

From dry mill to roaster#

Green coffee is the dried, hulled seed that leaves the dry mill in bags. Between that mill and a roaster it is stored, shipped and often stored again. It travels from producing to consuming countries in bags or in bulk, usually in containers that hold 18–22 tonnes.1 The guideline standard ISO 8455 covers this whole stretch.2 It deals with green coffee in bags, big bags, bulk and silos, from packing for export until arrival in the importing country.2

Two rules from the Codex code of practice on ochratoxin A (OTA), a mould toxin, run through the whole journey.1 Dried coffee must be protected from rewetting, degradation and contamination.1 Its moisture should not exceed 12.5% anywhere from the loading area to unloading, storage or roasting.1

What this entry does not cover. Holding parchment or dried cherry before hulling is resting, a separate step on the farm or at the mill. Keeping roasted coffee fresh is covered under freshness and storage. The physics of moisture, water activity and sorption is explained in the entry on moisture and water activity.

Coffee and the air around it#

Green coffee is hygroscopic: it takes up or gives off water until it is in balance with the air around it. A large stow of beans acts as a moisture reservoir that supplies water vapour to the air.3 In air at 60% relative humidity, about one tenth of the weight of green coffee is water, almost all of it inside the beans.3

The Codex code gives the working rule. Below 60% relative humidity coffee keeps drying; above 80% it starts to absorb water.1 A 2021 study puts beans with 8.5–10% water (basis not stated) in balance with air at 50–65% relative humidity.4

The balance is not a straight line. In the same study, seven green coffee lots took up water sharply once water activity passed 0.75, or 75% relative humidity at balance.4 A lot is a batch of coffee from one origin and process, traded as a unit. The authors read this as the start of capillary condensation, water condensing in the fine pores of the bean.4 Above that point, a little more humidity adds much more water.4

The effect shows in practice. A year-long trial in Colombia used stores averaging 72–81% relative humidity.8 At three of the four stores, coffee in natural-fibre bags rose from about 11.8% to an average of 15.0% moisture (wet basis).8 At these stores its water activity reached about 0.74.8 The Codex code treats 0.67–0.70 as the ceiling that protects parchment coffee from fungi.1

405060708090100% relative humidity of the airCoffee keeps drying40–601 8.5–10% water in the beansat equilibrium(basis not stated)50–654 About one tenth of thebean weight is water603 Air between the beansshould stay below this onthe voyage703 Sharp rise in water uptake(isotherms at 20 °C)754 Coffee absorbs water80–1001 Air under a cold containerroof: dew forms1003
Data table
% relative humidity of the airSource
Coffee keeps drying40–601
8.5–10% water in the beans at equilibrium (basis not stated)50–654
Coffee absorbs water80–1001
About one tenth of the bean weight is water603
Air between the beans should stay below this on the voyage703
Sharp rise in water uptake (isotherms at 20 °C)754
Air under a cold container roof: dew forms1003
Relative humidity of the air and what it does to stored green coffee. At balance, a water activity of 0.75 corresponds to 75% relative humidity.4 Codex code of practice1, Gough 19963, Ruszkowska et al. 2021.4

The warehouse#

The building. The Codex code asks for a store that keeps coffee dry and even. That means a cement floor with a damp-proof course, no risk of flooding, a waterproof roof and windows, and a high ceiling for air circulation.1 Moisture in a store can come from damp floors and walls, wind-driven rain, leaks, still air and wet coffee mixed with dry.1 In long-term storage, humidity should be kept under strict control.1

Stacking. Bags go on pallets and away from the walls so that air can circulate.1 Stored coffee should not stand in direct sun or near a heat source; the temperature differences that follow make water move within the stow.1 The resting entry gives the stacking distances used at origin.

Temperature. Cool stores keep coffee longer. In one trial, hulled coffee in permeable bags kept its quality for 12 months at 10 °C and 50% relative humidity.16 At a constant 25 °C without humidity control, it kept it for only 3 months.16 In a Polish trial, coffee stored at 20 °C aged fastest, and coffee at −10 °C and 10 °C kept similarly well.13 A German insurers’ cargo guide sums up the storage climate as “cool, dry, good ventilation”.6

Odours and taints. Green coffee is described by the same guide as extremely sensitive to foreign odours.6 The Codex code says that non-food materials should not be stored with coffee, to avoid contamination or taint.1

Insects. The coffee bean weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus) is mostly considered a pest of stored products, although it also attacks coffee berries in the field.18 The Codex code asks for checks on the weevil in the warehouse, using integrated pest management.1 In the Colombian trial, weevils appeared in coffee kept a year in fique bags at one store.8

Bags, liners and vacuum packs#

Jute and sisal. Green coffee is usually shipped in jute or sisal bags, which let air circulate freely.4 Natural-fibre bags also let water vapour and oxygen pass, so the coffee follows the humidity of the store.8

Hermetic bags. These bags keep water vapour and gases out, unlike permeable bags.17 In a 12-month commercial trial, coffee in hermetic big bags kept its quality, and its green colour even intensified.11 In a second trial, coffee in big bags flushed with carbon dioxide kept its specialty grade over 12 months.10 In jute, undesirable flavours and aromas dominated.10 Impermeable packaging also kept the original colour of the beans.10

Vacuum packs. In Colombia, vacuum packs of polyethylene and nylon were stored for 365 days at four sites. At the coolest site the cup quality held for the whole year.9 At the hottest site, two thirds of the samples showed sensory defects from 120 days.9 From 240 days, all of them had the aged reposo defect.9

Bulk and liners. For coffee shipped loose, the Codex code recommends a sealable plastic liner that allows aeration, kept away from the container roof.1 A marine insurers’ guide describes loose coffee loaded straight into lined containers to save packaging costs.5

Desiccants. Desiccants are sachets of water-absorbing material. A 2023 study simulated a 42-day shipment from Brazil to Italy.7 Compared with jute sacks alone, both hermetic packages and desiccants helped keep moisture, water activity and colour.7 Desiccants were ineffective without hermetic packaging, and the amount used made no significant difference.7

024681012141618% moisture (wet basis)Start of storage, allpackages≈11.88 Polymer packages, highestof four sites(Chinchiná)< 12.348 Natural-fibre packages(fique, paper), average of threesites15.08 Multilayer paper in thecold room15.88
Data table
% moisture (wet basis)Source
Start of storage, all packages≈11.88
Polymer packages, highest of four sites (Chinchiná)< 12.348
Natural-fibre packages (fique, paper), average of three sites15.08
Multilayer paper in the cold room15.88
Moisture of green coffee (wet basis) after 365 days in eight kinds of packages at four Colombian stores (site means 10.3–28.4 °C, 72–81% relative humidity). Gallego et al. 2025.8

In the container#

Container rain. Even well-dried coffee contains water. When the temperature changes during the voyage, part of it can condense and rewet the coffee locally.1 The water that moves can lead to mould growth and OTA.1 The warm stow gives off water vapour. Where the roof cools, the air beneath it reaches 100% relative humidity and dew forms on its underside.3 Drops then fall onto the top of the load, which a 1996 study called “internal raining”.3 In this entry it is called container rain.

Where it happens. Coffee shipped from a hot to a cold climate meets large temperature differences.4 For box containers, the 1996 study found the greatest risk in winter, after the container is unloaded onto the dockside.3 According to a 2021 study and an insurers’ guide, coffee should travel at 10–20 °C and never below 0 °C.4,6

Precautions. The Codex code lists the main ones:1

  1. Load only lots that are uniformly dried and below 12.5% moisture.
  2. Check that containers are clean, dry and free of damage that lets water in.
  3. Stack bags crossed over, so that no empty vertical columns (“chimneys”) form.
  4. Cover the top and sides of the bags with material that absorbs condensed water, such as silica gel or cardboard.
  5. Keep the ventilation holes of the container free.
  6. Stow away from the weather, not on the open deck, and away from boilers and heated tanks.

According to the 2021 study, more than 90% of European coffee imports travel in ventilated containers.4 A marine insurers’ guide recommends lining containers with heavy-duty kraft or corrugated paper.5 In its container trials with black pepper, the 1996 study found pallets and roof insulation the most practicable remedies.3

2134567

How container rain forms

  1. Moist air from the stow. The coffee acts as a reservoir that supplies water vapour to the air around it.3
  2. Cooling roof. The air beneath the roof reaches 100% relative humidity and dew forms on its underside.3
  3. Internal rain. Drops fall on the top layer and rewet it locally, which can lead to mould and OTA.1,3

Precautions

  1. Ventilation openings. Kept free; most European coffee imports travel in ventilated containers.1,4
  2. Lining. Absorbent material such as cardboard or kraft paper over the top and sides; a trial with pepper doubts its value on top.1,3,5
  3. Bags crossed over. No vertical gaps (chimneys) in the stack.1,5
  4. Pallets on the floor. With roof insulation, the most practicable remedy in the 1996 trials with pepper.3
Condensation in a box container of bagged green coffee and the precautions named in the sources. Point at a number or a line of the legend to highlight the part. Schematic, not to scale.

Reference values#

The table brings together the values reported in the sources. Moisture is given with its basis where the source states one.

Parameter Value reported Source
Moisture, loading area to roasting Not above 12.5% (wb where the code states a basis) Codex1
Moisture of green coffee in transport Must not exceed 12% (basis not stated) Ruszkowska et al.4
Approximate safe storage moisture About 13% (basis not stated) Gough3
Target held in storage trials 10–12% (wb) Anokye-Bempah et al.7, Gallego et al.8
Storage air Below 60% RH: keeps drying; above 80% RH: absorbs water Codex1
Water in green coffee at 60% RH About one tenth by weight Gough3
Water at balance with 50–65% RH 8.5–10% (basis not stated) Ruszkowska et al.4, TIS6
Isotherms, seven lots, 20 °C Sharp rise in water uptake above aw 0.75 Ruszkowska et al.4
Temperature effect, closed space A 10 °C rise raises the equilibrium RH by about 3% Gough3
Air between the beans on the voyage Never above 70% RH Gough3
Transport temperature 10–20 °C; not below 0 °C Ruszkowska et al.4, TIS6
Container load 18–22 t, bags or bulk Codex1
Ventilated containers More than 90% of European coffee imports Ruszkowska et al.4
Hulled coffee, permeable bags Quality kept 12 months at 10 °C and 50% RH; 3 months at 25 °C Abreu et al.16
Polymer packages, Colombia Below 12.34% (wb) and aw below 0.7 after 365 days at all four stores; at the two cool stores (10–11 °C), three or four of six polymer packs kept their initial cup quality for 365 days Gallego et al.8
Natural-fibre packages, Colombia 15.0% (wb) average after 365 days and aw about 0.74 at three stores; multilayer paper in the cold room 15.8% (wb) Gallego et al.8
Vacuum packs, hottest store aw 0.6146 at the start → 0.6709 after 365 days; all samples with reposo defect from 240 days Osorio et al.9
Hermetic big bags with CO2 Up to 60% CO2; viable over 12 months on a commercial scale Ribeiro et al.11

What ageing does to green coffee#

Green coffee changes slowly even in a good store. The sources describe four kinds of change: aroma, fats, cell membranes and colour.

Aroma. In a German study, Colombian arabica beans with 13.5% water (basis not stated) were kept for nine months at 40 °C in airtight bags.14 Clove-like 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol rose from 390 to 15,000 µg/kg, the fruity methyl 2-methylbutanoate from 9 to 500 µg/kg, and (E)-β-damascenone (cooked apple) from 0.8 to 29 µg/kg.14 A smoky odorant new to coffee, 2-methoxy-5-vinylphenol, appeared at 250 µg/kg.14 Cooling to 12 °C prevented the smoky compound from forming, and lower water content was the most critical factor.14 At 11.75% water and 25 °C it had not formed even after 18 months.14 The authors suggest drier beans combined with lower temperatures.14

Fats. Coffee oil is broken down by lipase, an enzyme that frees fatty acids.15 Lipase activity was found in every green coffee tested, even in 10-year-old Brazilian coffees.15 At 25 °C, free fatty acids in coffee at its original moisture rose from 1.8 to about 3.8 g/kg in 18 months; in moistened coffee they reached almost 4.8 g/kg.15 In dried coffee the rise was small.15 A 10-year-old Brazilian coffee contained more than 30 g/kg.15 Under accelerated storage at 30–50 °C and 50% relative humidity, free fatty acids in the oil ranged from 3.82 mg KOH/g oil at the start to 9.51 within 20 days, and the peroxide value from 0.86 to 3.63 meq/kg oil.12 Higher temperature lowered quality, and hermetic bags slowed oxidation more than woven plastic or polyethylene bags.12 Whether these changes create the flavour of aged coffee is disputed (see Contested).12,14

Cell membranes. When membranes break down, soaked beans leak more ions and potassium. The rising electrical conductivity of stored beans shows this disorganisation.16 In hulled coffee, mechanical damage from hulling and the missing fruit layers add to the loss of quality in store.16

Colour. Impermeable packaging kept the original colour of green coffee over 12 months.10 In hermetic big bags the green colour even intensified.11 According to the German insurers’ guide, fading colour that starts at the tips of the beans points to long storage.6 The Colombian authors read colour change in store as a sign of oxidation and biochemical breakdown.8

Hidden damage. Damage can start before cuppers taste it. In an 18-month trial, natural coffee in permeable bags showed volatile markers of later sensory damage from 3 months of storage.17 This latent damage was more marked in natural than in pulped natural coffee.17 In a Polish trial at −10 °C and 10 °C, the processing method had a greater effect on the results than the package.13

-1001020304050°CBlaszkiewicz et al. 2023 ·12 months, jute andhermetic bags−10 · 10 · 2013 Abreu et al. 2023 ·hulled, permeable bags1016 2516 Gallego et al. 2025 · bestpolymer packs, 365 days10.3 · 11.3 · 22.6 · 28.48 Osorio et al. 2025 ·vacuum packs, 365 days10.39 28.09 Scheidig et al. 2007 ·13.5% water(basis not stated), airtight bags1214 4014 Moon et al. 2022 ·accelerated, 20 days30 · 40 · 5012
Data table
Point°CSource
Blaszkiewicz et al. 2023 · 12 months, jute and hermetic bags−10-1013
Blaszkiewicz et al. 2023 · 12 months, jute and hermetic bags101013
Blaszkiewicz et al. 2023 · 12 months, jute and hermetic bags202013
Abreu et al. 2023 · hulled, permeable bags101016
Abreu et al. 2023 · hulled, permeable bags252516
Gallego et al. 2025 · best polymer packs, 365 days10.310.38
Gallego et al. 2025 · best polymer packs, 365 days11.311.38
Gallego et al. 2025 · best polymer packs, 365 days22.622.68
Gallego et al. 2025 · best polymer packs, 365 days28.428.48
Osorio et al. 2025 · vacuum packs, 365 days10.310.39
Osorio et al. 2025 · vacuum packs, 365 days28.0289
Scheidig et al. 2007 · 13.5% water (basis not stated), airtight bags121214
Scheidig et al. 2007 · 13.5% water (basis not stated), airtight bags404014
Moon et al. 2022 · accelerated, 20 days303012
Moon et al. 2022 · accelerated, 20 days404012
Moon et al. 2022 · accelerated, 20 days505012
Storage temperatures in six studies and their outcome. Hollow dots: quality kept, or the change studied did not occur; filled dots: faster ageing, lost quality or rising oxidation, as each study reports it. Durations and materials differ, so compare points within a row only. Gallego et al.8, Osorio et al.9, Moon et al.12, Błaszkiewicz et al.13, Scheidig et al.14, Abreu et al.16

Packaging trials compared#

Study Coffee and conditions Duration Packages Main finding
Ribeiro et al. 201111 Arabica, commercial warehouse, Minas Gerais, Brazil 12 months Hermetic big bags, with up to 60% CO2 or without Quality kept; green colour intensified
Borém et al. 201310 Arabica, commercial scale; panel of 13 certified cuppers 12 months Hermetic big bags with or without CO2; GrainPro bags; jute Big bags with CO2 kept specialty grade; undesirable flavours in jute
Borém et al. 202117 Natural and pulped natural 18 months Permeable and hermetic bags Latent damage in natural coffee in permeable bags from 3 months
Moon et al. 202212 Arabica, Thailand; 30, 40, 50 °C at 50% RH 20 days Woven plastic, polyethylene, GrainPro Hermetic bag slowest oxidation
Anokye-Bempah et al. 20237 Simulated shipment Brazil to Italy in climate chambers 42 days Jute and hermetic packages, with and without desiccants Hermetic kept moisture stable; desiccants work only inside hermetic packs
Błaszkiewicz et al. 202313 Washed and natural; −10, 10 and 20 °C 12 months Jute, GrainPro 20 °C ages fastest; package less decisive than processing
Gallego et al. 20258 Four Colombian stores, site means 10.3, 11.3, 22.6 and 28.4 °C, 72–81% RH; 384 samples 365 days Fique, paper and six polymer packs, one vacuum-sealed Several polymer packs kept quality at the two cool stores; quality fell over time at 22.6 °C, and after 60 days at 28.4 °C in every pack
Osorio et al. 20259 Excelso coffee, same four sites (site means 10.3–28.0 °C); 11.9% moisture (basis not stated) at the start 365 days Vacuum pack, polyethylene and nylon No loss at the coolest site; all samples aged at the hottest from 240 days

In the Colombian trial, 34% of the 384 samples showed sensory defects: 25% ageing, 7% earthy, 2% fermented and 0.42% phenolic.8 Fique bags had the largest share of defective samples, 53.3%.8

Container physics#

Green coffee in a closed space sets the humidity of the air between the beans; it works as a moisture reservoir.3 In an airtight enclosure of green coffee, a 10 °C rise raises the equilibrium relative humidity by about 3%.3 When the roof cools, for example on a winter dockside, the air just beneath it rises to 100% relative humidity and dew forms.3 The 1996 study advised that the air between the beans should never exceed 70% relative humidity during or after the voyage, and that the coffee should be drier than is needed at the port of export.3 It recommended open-sided or naturally ventilated containers for coffee, cocoa and pepper.3

Field trial. In the same study, coffee travelled from Côte d’Ivoire to southern England in summer in a prototype container with continuous vents near floor and roof.3 No moisture problems were seen when the doors were opened, and the surface samples were drier than the interior.3 The floor was damp where the sacks had stood.3 The study judged the container suitable for summer shipments on that route.3

Simulated voyage. In a 2005 laboratory simulation in Brazil, condensation formed mainly on the container ceiling.19 Water activity of beans in the upper region rose only from about 0.59 to 0.60–0.61, and the oven-method moisture gain was less than 0.3%.19 The simulation used no solar radiation, which the authors suggest kept the moisture rise small.19 The half-full container showed a stronger tendency towards defects than the others.19

Pests in storage#

The coffee bean weevil has a worldwide distribution.18 Green coffee with insect damage counts as a defect and lowers its grade.18 A 2018 paper cites Brazilian reports from 1957 and 1973 of about 30% losses in coffee stored for 6 months and 20% in coffee stored for 9 months; the kind of loss is not stated.18 According to the German insurers’ guide, containers and holds must be free of insects.6 Monitoring by integrated pest management is the Codex recommendation.1

Measurement#

Moisture is measured with the ISO 6673 oven method or calibrated meters, and water activity with dew-point or capacitance instruments; the moisture and water activity entry describes both. Storage trials add tests of the seed itself: electrical conductivity and potassium leaching for membrane damage,11,16 instrumental colour,10,11 cupping by certified panels,10 oil oxidation indices such as free fatty acids and peroxide value,12 and aroma compounds by gas chromatography.14,17

Methods can disagree. In the 2005 simulation, a weight-gain method gave a larger moisture rise in the upper layer, from about 10.3% to 11.9% (basis not stated), than the oven and capacitance methods.19 The same coffee thus gave different answers by method.

Risks and defects#

  • Rewetting. Condensation and water redistribution in containers can lead to mould and OTA.1
  • Container rain. Drops from a cold roof rewet the top layer.3
  • Aged flavour. Long or warm storage gives ageing defects, called reposo in Colombian trials.8,9
  • Taint. Green coffee takes up foreign odours; non-food goods do not belong in a coffee store.1,6
  • Insects. The coffee bean weevil damages stored beans.1,18
  • Heat and cold. Stowage near boilers or heated tanks is to be avoided,1 and temperatures below 0 °C as well.4,6

Open questions#

  • Loading moisture. The Codex ceiling, a peer-reviewed 12% limit and an older 13% guide value do not agree (see Contested).1,3,4
  • Real voyages. The sources opened here give simulated voyages7,19 and one older field trial.3 Peer-reviewed logs of container climate and bean moisture on commercial coffee voyages were not found.
  • Fats and flavour. Whether fat oxidation causes the flavour of aged green coffee is unresolved (see Contested).12,14
  • Trade terms. Terms such as “past crop” and “baggy” are not defined in any peer-reviewed or standards source opened for this entry.
  • ISO 8455. Only the scope of the standard could be read; its detailed requirements are not quoted here.2

Key studies#

Gallego et al., 2025 – Packaging and storage location. Green Arabica was stored for a year in fique, paper and six kinds of polymer packs at four Colombian sites, from cool highland stores to a hot coastal one. Natural-fibre bags let the coffee take up water, while polymer packs kept moisture and water activity low. At the two cool sites several barrier packs held cup quality for the full year; at the hot site quality fell after 60 days in every pack.

International Journal of Food Science 2025, 5049217 · doi:10.1155/ijfo/5049217

Borém et al., 2013 – Hermetic packaging on a commercial scale. Green coffee was stored for 12 months in hermetic big bags with or without carbon dioxide, in GrainPro bags and in jute, and judged by certified cuppers. Coffee in big bags with carbon dioxide kept its specialty grade, impermeable packs kept the bean colour, and jute gave undesirable flavours and aromas.

Journal of Stored Products Research · sciencedirect.com

Scheidig, Czerny & Schieberle, 2007 – Key odorants in stored raw coffee. Raw beans were stored under defined temperature, water content and oxygen. Vinylphenols and methyl esters rose strongly at 40 °C and 13.5% water (basis not stated), while no aroma-active fat breakdown products formed. Lower water content and cooler storage prevented most of the change.

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55, 5768–5775 · doi:10.1021/jf070488o

Błaszkiewicz et al., 2023 – Temperature, package and processing. Washed and natural coffee was stored for a year in jute or GrainPro bags at −10, 10 and 20 °C. Coffee at 20 °C aged fastest; at the two cooler temperatures the processing method mattered more than the package.

Scientific Reports 13, 6447 · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-33609-x

Anokye-Bempah et al., 2023 – Desiccants in storage and transport. A 42-day shipment from Brazil to Italy was simulated in climate chambers with jute and hermetic packages, with and without desiccants. Hermetic packages and desiccants helped keep moisture, water activity and colour; desiccants worked only inside hermetic packs, and their amount made no significant difference.

Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 11, 100478 · doi:10.1016/j.jafr.2022.100478

Contested
  • Moisture limit for shipment: the Codex code says moisture should not exceed 12.5% anywhere from the loading area to roasting (wet basis where the code states one)1, a 2021 study says the water content of green coffee must not exceed 12% (basis not stated)4, and a 1996 research bulletin gives about 13% (basis not stated) as the approximate safe storage moisture.3 A German insurers' cargo guide accepts loading moisture above the Codex value.6 Peer-reviewed storage trials aim at 10–12%.7,8
  • Paper over the top of the stow: the Codex code recommends covering the top and sides of the bags with materials that absorb condensed water, such as silica gel or cardboard1, and a marine insurers' guide recommends lining containers with heavy-duty kraft or corrugated paper5; in container trials with black pepper, a 1996 research bulletin called corrugated paper on top of the stow of doubtful value and named pallets and roof insulation as the most practicable remedies.3 No source opened for this entry tested either remedy with coffee.
  • How much the package matters: in commercial-scale trials, jute gave undesirable flavours while hermetic big bags kept specialty quality over 12 months10, and in Colombia polymer packages kept moisture below 12.34% (wb) while natural-fibre bags reached an average of 15.0% (wb) at three of four stores.8 In a Polish trial at −10 °C and 10 °C, however, the type of package did not differentiate the coffee to a significant extent; processing mattered more13, and at a store averaging 28.4 °C, cup quality fell after 60 days whatever the package.8 The sources together suggest that temperature decides how much the package can do.
  • Role of fat oxidation in aged flavour: under accelerated storage, oxidation indices of green coffee oil rose, and the authors link secondary oxidation to changes in flavour and odour12; free fatty acids also rise during storage at 25 °C.15 An aroma study, however, found no aroma-active breakdown products of unsaturated fatty acids after nine months at 40 °C; the odour changes it found came from vinylphenols and methyl esters.14
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Change log

  • – The 1996 bulletin's findings that corrugated paper on top of the stow is of doubtful value and that pallets and roof insulation are the most practicable remedies are now attributed to its container trials with black pepper. Reason: In the source these conclusions come from a black pepper trial (Singapore to Southampton) and are not extended to coffee.
  • – Moisture values from the 2025 Colombian packaging trial are now given as wet basis; the natural-fibre average of 15.0% is limited to three of the four stores; the 15.8% value for multilayer paper is added to the table. Reason: The paper's methods state wet basis (oven method, ISO 6673); the 15.0% average is reported for three stores, not four.
  • – The claim that polymer packages kept cup quality for 365 days at the cool stores is narrowed to several (three or four of six) polymer packs; the Chinchiná result (quality fell over time) is added; store temperatures are given as site means. Reason: At the coolest store two polymer packs scored 54.0 and 63.1 at 365 days (Table 7); the abstract names four packs that kept quality, and three are named for the cold room.
  • – Basis not stated added to the 13.5% water of the 2007 aroma study, the 11.9% start moisture of the vacuum-pack study and the weight-gain values of the 2005 simulation; accelerated-storage oxidation values reworded as a range with units per gram or kilogram of oil; the 25 °C store described as constant temperature without humidity control. Reason: Matching the sources' wording, units and conditions.

Sources

  1. ACodex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO) (2009). Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Coffee (CAC/RCP 69-2009). Codex Alimentarius.
  2. AInternational Organization for Standardization (2011). ISO 8455:2011 Green coffee — Guidelines for storage and transport. ISO.
  3. AGough, M. C. (1996). Marine Transport of Some Tropical Food Cargoes to Cold Climates: Maintenance of Quality (NRI Bulletin 69). Natural Resources Institute, Chatham (University of Greenwich repository).
  4. ARuszkowska, M.; Dmowski, P.; Urbanowicz, K. (2021). Hygroscopic Properties of Green Coffee Transported by Sea. TransNav, the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation 15(3), 641–647. doi:10.12716/1001.15.03.19 · other copies
  5. BUK P&I Club (2023). Carefully to Carry, Consolidated Edition 2023. UK P&I Club.
  6. BGesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV), Transport Information Service Coffee (Transport Information Service cargo guide). TIS – Transport Information Service.
  7. AAnokye-Bempah, L.; Han, J.; Kornbluth, K.; Ristenpart, W.; Donis-González, I. R. (2023). The use of desiccants for proper moisture preservation in green coffee during storage and transportation. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research 11, 100478. doi:10.1016/j.jafr.2022.100478 · other copies
  8. AGallego, C. P.; Pabón, J.; Medina, R. D.; Osorio, V. (2025). Maintenance of the Quality of Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in Different Packaging and Storage Locations. International Journal of Food Science 2025, 5049217. doi:10.1155/ijfo/5049217 · other copies
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