GUEST BLOG: Beyond quality control — comprehensive laboratory operations

Coffee is a ritualistic product, meaning that consumers seek consistency in the way their beloved beverage looks, smells, and tastes. Sameness coincides with familiarity, which over time creates trust in the product and by extension to the brand. Trust produces positive emotional feelings that evolve into loyalty which is critical for repeat sales and business success. Quality control will confirm the results or process controls and validate adherence to product specification, leading to positive consumer experiences.

If we consider product testing for physical attributes, sensory characteristics, and chemical analysis for food safety to be basic operations for quality control, we should consider what else these technical services can provide. And how we may utilise laboratory operations to contribute to the overall success of a coffee business. Let’s explore how quality control can support manufacturing operations.

Quality control is more than the policing function that protects a business from selling coffee that is out of specification and serves consumers by helping to ensure consistent flavour. A fully functional quality control program goes beyond the tactics of testing. Expansion into investigations in partnership with supply chain, product development, operations, and sales/marketing establish a comprehensive and value-added purpose.

Identifying the root cause of quality concerns requires Coffee Science Investigation. CSI is a thorough process that measures physical attributes and sensory characteristics of green and roasted coffee. Much like the other CSI (Crime Scene Investigations) which examines physical evidence to help solve a crime, both incorporate science and critical analysis to determine what happened, when it happened, and how to put cause and effect into context.

Coffee quality control using the CSI process is best characterised as measuring both the before and after quality at manufacturing control point in process controls. When green coffee is evaluated, roasted coffee is tested, and finished products are analysed, it creates a complete understanding of the correlation between raw materials and finished products. CSI segregates the quality control points to determine causation, specifically which quality issues and/or process controls directly impacted finished quality and consistency.

Single product testing is used to investigate a complaint or concern. Frequent CSI coffee analysis can identify trends to help prevent out of specification occurrences. Timed stability testing is another quality control operation that can be deployed to support product development and serve the needs of customers.

Timed stability testing, colloquially referred to as shelf-life testing, is a powerful tool enabling quality control to protect consumers from product defects that will only be identified during downstream processes. What happens when coffee is in storage and how to measure changes over time to determine when coffee is no longer suitable for consumers because of quality variations that are outside of specifications. Timed stability testing begins with the creation of critical limits to identify when a product is not acceptable for sale. Quantitative limits include oxygen in the headspace, moisture in coffee, and microbiological food safety issues. Qualitative limits are measured by sensory evaluation by determining the degree of difference to a new manufactured product, and the perception of flavours indicating oxidation and staling, which include cereal, malt, paper, wood, and dry earth. Coffee is evaluated under typical storage conditions at specific time intervals frequent enough to identify the time when the coffee exceeds the established critical limits.

Timed stability testing should be conducted using blind testing to prevent bias or expectations as a result of familiarity. These tests should begin with standard quality products in adequate quantity to test the maximum time for critical limits, often 150% of the expected shelf-life. A proper testing project will challenge both the minimal best-by time determination and establish the maximum time opportunity. Often a duplicate test is executed to account for extreme storage conditions in cold weather or warm weather climates. We all have opinions about how wonderful our own coffee tastes. Comparative analysis replaces biased opinion with analytical facts.

Comparative analysis is valuable to both product development and sales/marketing teams. When conducting good laboratory practices to prevent bias through blind or double-blind testing, the results are directional for sourcing and blending to reach a desired flavor profile and to develop a marketing strategy to support sales activities. Laboratory results of product testing, especially when conducted by an independent third-party laboratory, offer credible validation for product differences. These analyses can also by valuable when measuring a competitor’s quality changes or inconsistencies when testing is performed on a regularly scheduled basis. Quantitative results from physical analysis and qualitative evaluation from sensory testing illustrate quality differences that can be used to improve your companies’ operations and bolster sales success. Facts are more effective than opinions when selling directly against a competitor.

Evolving quality control from a singular testing function to protect quality into a comprehensive operation supporting all functional areas will contribute to the overall success of coffee businesses.

Spencer Turer is vice president at Coffee Enterprises, a testing laboratory and consultancy in Hinesburg, Vermont. He may be reached at [email protected].