# Volatile, Microbial, and Sensory Profiles and Consumer Acceptance of Coffee Cascara Kombuchas
## 4 Conclusions and Final Considerations  
In the present study, 81 volatile organic compounds were identified considering infusions and fermented beverages. Amounts of 24 and 28 compounds were identified in CCB and CCN infusions, respectively, and 22 in BT infusions. The volatile profile changed dramatically during fermentation, with 59 compounds commonly identified in all kombuchas. Despite different origins and post-harvest processing, both groups of coffee cascara kombucha presented similar volatile profiles. The content of acids and esters increased progressively due to the symbiosis between acetic acid bacteria and yeasts, represented in the consortia used in this study mostly by the genera _Komagateibacter_ sp. and _Pichia_ sp., respectively. Coffee cascara kombucha was accepted by the assessors from Rio de Janeiro in general, especially the one containing a higher amount of sugar and fruity and flowery attributes, resembling the Guarana soft drink commonly consumed by Rio de Janeiro's population. Young adults showed to be potential consumers of coffee cascara kombucha, with women preferring the early stages of fermentation and men later stages. The sensory characterization was associated with the volatile composition of the beverages. Volatile compounds that seem to have contributed the most to the main characteristics of coffee cascara kombucha were linalool, decanal, nonanal, octanal, dodecanal, ethanol, 2-ethylhexanol, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, \(\beta\)-damascenone, \(\gamma\)-nonalactone, ethanol, linalool oxide, phenylethyl alcohol, phenylacetaldehyde, isoamyl alcohol, acetic acid, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, ethyl isobutyrate, ethyl hexanoate, and limonene. However, this hypothesis needs to be confirmed by studies involving gas chromatography analysis with olfactometric detection. Coffee cascara showed to be a suitable raw material to produce aromatic and natural cold beverages, that with reduced amounts of sugar and caffeine (compared to soft drinks and other stimulant beverages) [20,121], and a considerable number of bioactive compounds, can be an excellent replacement for nutritionally poor soft drinks and a way to reduce environmental pollution caused by the incorrect disposal of coffee cascara after harvest, as well as improving the coffee chain sustainability. Additionally, different from most kombuchas which are flavored to increase acceptance, coffee cascara kombuchas do not need flavoring agents like fruits, herbs, or spices commonly used for the traditional kombucha or kombucha-like beverages. Therefore, the potential of coffee cascara kombuchas to produce healthy fermented beverages like kombucha is remarkable. The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12142710/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12142710/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12142710/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/foods12142710/s1)): Figure S1. Total Ion Chromatograms (TIC) of kombuchas obtained by SPME/GC/MS; Figure S2. Calibration curves of sucrose (A), glucose (B), and fructose (C) standards used for sugar analysis via High Performance Liquid Chromatography Refractive Index Detector system. A.L.S. : conceptualization, formal analysis, writing--original draft; S.C.C. : methodology, formal analysis; J.M. : formal analysis; A.C.: formal analysis; T.F.S. : formal analysis; I.M.P.L.V.O.F. : formal analysis, supervision; J.O.F. : funding acquisition, supervision; M.A.L.M. : funding acquisition, analysis supervision, reviewing, and editing; A.F. : conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, methodology, writing--reviewing and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research was funded by the Rio de Janeiro Research Support Foundation--FAPERJ (E26/200.940/2021-259919 and E26/210.107/2018-241762) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel--Brazil (CAPES--Finance Code 001). S.C.C.