🇰🇪 KENYA COFFEE SCHOOL (KCS)

STUDENT LAB WORKSHEETS

Coffee Fermentation, By-Products & Circular Economy

LAB WORKSHEET 1

Coffee Cherry Anatomy & Waste Mapping

Module: Coffee Processing & Circular Economy
Lab Type: Observation + Systems Thinking
Time: 45 minutes

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this lab, the student should be able to:

• Identify all structural layers of the coffee cherry
• Classify coffee by-products generated during processing
• Map coffee waste into potential value-added uses

🧪 Materials

• Fresh coffee cherries or visual samples
• Diagram of coffee cherry
• Notebook / worksheet
• Pen or pencil

📝 Task A: Coffee Cherry Identification

Label the following parts of the coffee cherry:

📝 Task B: Waste Mapping

List the coffee by-products generated during wet processing and indicate whether they are solid or liquid.

🧠 Reflection Question

Why is it incorrect to call coffee pulp “waste” from a scientific perspective?

Answer:

LAB WORKSHEET 2

Sugar Content & Fermentation Potential of Coffee Mucilage

Module: Coffee Fermentation Science
Lab Type: Measurement & Analysis
Time: 60 minutes

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Measure sugar concentration in coffee mucilage
• Relate sugar levels to fermentation efficiency
• Predict fermentation outcomes

🧪 Materials

• Fresh coffee mucilage
• Refractometer (°Brix)
• Distilled water
• Beakers
• Thermometer

📝 Task A: Sugar Measurement

📝 Task B: Interpretation

1. What does a high °Brix value indicate in fermentation? ☐ Low sugar
   ☐ High sugar
   ☐ High acidity
   ☐ Low microbial activity
2. Why is coffee mucilage suitable for fermentation?

🧠 Application Question

If the °Brix drops during fermentation, what is happening to the sugars?

LAB WORKSHEET 3

Controlled Fermentation Variables (pH & Temperature)

Module: Applied Coffee Fermentation
Lab Type: Experimental Design
Time: 90 minutes

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Understand how pH and temperature affect fermentation
• Observe fermentation rate differences
• Apply scientific control principles

🧪 Materials

• Coffee mucilage
• Fermentation containers
• pH strips or meter
• Thermometer
• Yeast culture (if applicable)

📝 Task A: Experimental Setup

📝 Task B: Observation Notes

Record changes in:

• Smell
• Gas production
• Foam formation
• Sugar reduction

🧠 Analysis Question

Which condition showed the most active fermentation and why?

LAB WORKSHEET 4

Biofuel Pathway Matching (Concept Lab)

Module: Coffee Circular Economy
Lab Type: Concept Mapping
Time: 30 minutes

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Match coffee by-products to energy pathways
• Understand biological vs chemical conversion

📝 Task: Match the Following

Options:

• Fermentation
• Anaerobic digestion
• Trans-esterification
• Bioethanol
• Biogas
• Biodiesel

🧠 Short Answer

Why is fermentation considered more environmentally friendly than chemical conversion?

LAB WORKSHEET 5

Circular Coffee System Design (Capstone Lab)

Module: Circular Coffee & Sustainability
Lab Type: Systems Design
Time: 60 minutes

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Apply circular economy thinking to coffee systems
• Design zero-waste coffee processing models
• Link fermentation to sustainability

📝 Task A: System Design

Draw or describe a circular coffee system starting from the farm and ending back at the farm.

Include:

• Coffee processing
• Waste streams
• Fermentation or digestion
• Energy or fertilizer recovery

🧠 Critical Thinking Question

How can circular coffee systems improve farmer income and environmental protection at the same time?

🧾 ASSESSMENT RUBRIC (Trainer Use)

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At Kenya Coffee School, fermentation is not tradition — it is applied science.