ISO 4149:2005

Green coffee - Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects

ISO 4149:2005 specifies methods for the olfactory and visual examination and for the determination of foreign matter and defects in green coffee from all origins, in order to assess conformity with a specification or a contract. These methods can also be used for determining one or more of the characteristics of green coffee with an impact on coffee quality for technical, commercial, administrative and arbitration purposes, and for quality control or quality inspection.

Café vert — Examens olfactif et visuel, et détermination des matières étrangères et des défauts

L'ISO 4149:2005 spécifie les méthodes pour l'examen olfactif et visuel, et pour la détermination des matières étrangères et des défauts dans les cafés verts de toutes origines, aux fins d'évaluer la conformité avec une spécification ou un contrat. De plus, ces méthodes peuvent être utilisées pour déterminer une ou plusieurs caractéristiques de cafés verts ayant un impact sur la qualité du café à des fins techniques, commerciales, administratives et d'arbitrage, ainsi que pour le contrôle et l'inspection de la qualité.

Surova kava - Ugotavljanje vonja in videza ter določanje tujih primesi in napak

Ta mednarodni standard določa metode za ugotavljanje vonja in videza ter določanje tujih primesi in napak v surovi kavi katerega koli izvora za ocenjevanje skladnosti s specifikacijo ali pogodbo. Te metode se lahko uporabljajo tudi za določanje ene ali več lastnosti surove kave, ki učinkujejo na kakovost kave, v tehnične, gospodarske, upravne in razsodniške namene ter za nadzor ali pregled kakovosti.
Ta mednarodni standard velja za surovo kavo, kot jo opredeljuje ISO 3509.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-Mar-2005
• ICS: 67.140.20 - Coffee and coffee substitutes
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 34/SC 15 - Coffee
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 34/SC 15 - Coffee
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 21-Nov-2025
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025
• Ref Project: SIST ISO 4149:2011 - Green coffee -- Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects

Relations

• Revised: ISO 4149:2025 - Green coffee - Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects
• Effective Date: 02-Sep-2023
• Revised: SIST ISO 4149:1995 - Green coffee -- Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects
• Effective Date: 12-May-2008
• Revises: ISO 4149:1980 - Green coffee - Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and defects
• Effective Date: 15-Apr-2008

Overview

ISO 4149:2005 is an international standard that specifies standardized methods for the olfactory (smell) and visual examination of green coffee beans. It also establishes procedures for identifying and quantifying foreign matter and defects in green coffee from all origins. These assessments are essential to verify conformity with contract specifications, ensuring consistent coffee quality. The standard supports technical, commercial, administrative, and arbitration purposes and provides guidance for quality control and inspection of green coffee.

The standard applies to green coffee as defined by ISO 3509 and sets forth clear criteria and procedures to perform sensory and physical inspections effectively.

Key Topics

• Olfactory Examination: Guidelines to evaluate the aroma of raw coffee beans prior to visual inspection, enabling early detection of abnormal or foreign odors.

• Visual Examination: Procedures for inspecting green coffee samples under appropriate lighting conditions to assess overall appearance, botanical origin (e.g., Arabica, Robusta), color uniformity, and presence of visual defects.

• Foreign Matter and Defect Identification: Methods to detect, sort, and weigh foreign materials and defective beans. The standard emphasizes weighing over counting, expressing results as a percentage of sample mass and quality impact units.

• Sampling Requirements: Specifies laboratory sample sizes (typically 300g) and sampling procedures according to ISO 4072 to ensure representative analyses.

• Result Reporting: Framework for documenting the examination process, sample identification, methods used, observations, and quantified results, enabling traceability and replication.

Applications

• Quality Control in Coffee Trade
  ISO 4149:2005 supports buyers and sellers in verifying green coffee quality against contract requirements, helping to avoid disputes related to contamination or defects.

• Grading and Classification
  The standard aids in categorizing coffee batches based on sensory and physical characteristics, which influences pricing and suitability for various coffee products.

• Technical and Commercial Arbitration
  By providing a common, internationally recognized test method, ISO 4149 facilitates fair arbitration in quality disagreements between stakeholders.

• Research and Development
  Laboratories can use ISO 4149 methods to evaluate the impact of processing, handling, or geographic origin on coffee quality parameters related to defects and foreign matter.

• Regulatory Compliance
  Ensures adherence to quality specifications in food safety and trade regulations concerning green coffee.

Related Standards

To complement ISO 4149:2005, the following ISO standards are relevant in green coffee assessment and control:

• ISO 3509 – Vocabulary for coffee and coffee products, providing terminology foundational to ISO 4149.

• ISO 4072 – Sampling of green coffee in bags, defining methods for obtaining representative laboratory samples.

• ISO 10470:2004 – Reference table for classification and impact of defects in green coffee, essential for identifying and quantifying defect categories.

• ISO 4150 – Granulometric analysis of green coffee by manual sieving, useful for further particle size characterization after ISO 4149 inspection.

• ISO 1446 – Determination of moisture content in green coffee, complementing quality control processes.

• ISO 6673 – Determination of mass loss at 105 °C, standardizing dehydration measurement which can impact visual and sensory quality.

---

Adopting ISO 4149:2005 is vital for coffee industry professionals engaged in procurement, inspection, and certification of green coffee beans. The standard ensures systematic, reproducible evaluation of coffee aroma, visual integrity, and contamination levels-critical factors driving coffee quality and customer satisfaction worldwide.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2011
1DGRPHãþD
SIST ISO 4149:1995
6XURYDNDYD8JRWDYOMDQMHYRQMDLQYLGH]DWHUGRORþDQMHWXMLKSULPHVLLQQDSDN
Green coffee -- Olfactory and visual examination and determination of foreign matter and
defects
Café vert -- Examens olfactif et visuel, et détermination des matières étrangères et des
défauts
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO 4149:2005
ICS:
67.140.20 Kava in kavni nadomestki Coffee and coffee substitutes
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 4149
Second edition
2005-03-01
Green coffee — Olfactory and visual
examination and determination of foreign
matter and defects
Café vert — Examens olfactif et visuel, et détermination des matières
étrangères et des défauts
Reference number
©
ISO 2005
PDF disclaimer
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accepts no liability in this area.
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©  ISO 2005
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
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Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
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Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 4149 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 15, Coffee.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 4149:1980), which has been technically revised.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 4149:2005(E)

Green coffee — Olfactory and visual examination
and determination of foreign matter and defects
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies methods for the olfactory and visual examination and for the
determination of foreign matter and defects in green coffee from all origins, in order to assess conformity with
a specification or a contract. These methods can also be used for determining one or more of the
characteristics of green coffee with an impact on coffee quality for technical, commercial, administrative and
arbitration purposes, and for quality control or quality inspection.
This International Standard is applicable to green coffee as defined in ISO 3509.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 3509, Coffee and coffee products — Vocabulary
ISO 4072, Green coffee in bags — Sampling
ISO 10470:2004, Green coffee — Defect reference chart
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 3509 apply.
4 Sampling
Take a laboratory sample of 300 g, prepared in accordance with ISO 4072. The same laboratory sample may
later be used for size analysis (see ISO 4150) provided that it is fully reconstituted for this further test.
5 Olfactory examination
5.1 Procedure
5.1.1 The olfactory examination shall be carried out on the laboratory sample before any other examination
is made.
5.1.2 After having recorded the label information on a record form, open the package, bring the nose as
close to the whole sample as possible and sniff sharply.
5.2 Evaluation
5.2.
...

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 4149
Second edition
2005-03-01
Green coffee — Olfactory and visual
examination and determination of foreign
matter and defects
Café vert — Examens olfactif et visuel, et détermination des matières
étrangères et des défauts
Reference number
©
ISO 2005
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO 2005
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2005 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 4149 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 15, Coffee.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 4149:1980), which has been technically revised.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 4149:2005(E)

Green coffee — Olfactory and visual examination
and determination of foreign matter and defects
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies methods for the olfactory and visual examination and for the
determination of foreign matter and defects in green coffee from all origins, in order to assess conformity with
a specification or a contract. These methods can also be used for determining one or more of the
characteristics of green coffee with an impact on coffee quality for technical, commercial, administrative and
arbitration purposes, and for quality control or quality inspection.
This International Standard is applicable to green coffee as defined in ISO 3509.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 3509, Coffee and coffee products — Vocabulary
ISO 4072, Green coffee in bags — Sampling
ISO 10470:2004, Green coffee — Defect reference chart
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 3509 apply.
4 Sampling
Take a laboratory sample of 300 g, prepared in accordance with ISO 4072. The same laboratory sample may
later be used for size analysis (see ISO 4150) provided that it is fully reconstituted for this further test.
5 Olfactory examination
5.1 Procedure
5.1.1 The olfactory examination shall be carried out on the laboratory sample before any other examination
is made.
5.1.2 After having recorded the label information on a record form, open the package, bring the nose as
close to the whole sample as possible and sniff sharply.
5.2 Evaluation
5.2.1 Evaluate the odour and record as follows:
a) “normal odour”, if no disagreeable odour nor any odour foreign to coffee is detected;
b) “abnormal odour”, if any disagreeable odour or any odour foreign to coffee is detected.
If recognisable, any foreign odour should be described, indicating the matter to which it belongs or which it
suggests.
5.2.2 In doubtful cases, if there is a suspicion of an abnormal odour, a clean, odourless container shall be
half-filled with coffee from the laboratory sample
...

NORME ISO
INTERNATIONALE 4149
Deuxième édition
2005-03-01
Café vert — Examens olfactif et visuel,
et détermination des matières
étrangères et des défauts
Green coffee — Olfactory and visual examination and determination
of foreign matter and defects
Numéro de référence
©
ISO 2005
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©  ISO 2005
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Publié en Suisse
ii © ISO 2005 – Tous droits réservés

Avant-propos
L'ISO (Organisation internationale de normalisation) est une fédération mondiale d'organismes nationaux de
normalisation (comités membres de l'ISO). L'élaboration des Normes internationales est en général confiée
aux comités techniques de l'ISO. Chaque comité membre intéressé par une étude a le droit de faire partie du
comité technique créé à cet effet. Les organisations internationales, gouvernementales et non
gouvernementales, en liaison avec l'ISO participent également aux travaux. L'ISO collabore étroitement avec
la Commission électrotechnique internationale (CEI) en ce qui concerne la normalisation électrotechnique.
Les Normes internationales sont rédigées conformément aux règles données dans les Directives ISO/CEI,
Partie 2.
La tâche principale des comités techniques est d'élaborer les Normes internationales. Les projets de Normes
internationales adoptés par les comités techniques sont soumis aux comités membres pour vote. Leur
publication comme Normes internationales requiert l'approbation de 75 % au moins des comités membres
votants.
L'attention est appelée sur le fait que certains des éléments du présent document peuvent faire l'objet de
droits de propriété intellectuelle ou de droits analogues. L'ISO ne saurait être tenue pour responsable de ne
pas avoir identifié de tels droits de propriété et averti de leur existence.
L'ISO 4149 a été élaborée par le comité technique ISO/TC 34, Produits alimentaires, sous-comité SC 15,
Café.
Cette deuxième édition annule et remplace la première édition (ISO 4149:1980), qui a fait l'objet d'une
révision technique.
NORME INTERNATIONALE ISO 4149:2005(F)

Café vert — Examens olfactif et visuel, et détermination
des matières étrangères et des défauts
1 Domaine d'application
La présente Norme internationale spécifie les méthodes pour l'examen olfactif et visuel, et pour la
détermination des matières étrangères et des défauts dans les cafés verts de toutes origines, aux fins d'établir
la conformité avec une spécification ou un contrat. De plus, ces méthodes peuvent être utilisées pour
déterminer une ou plusieurs caractéristiques de cafés verts ayant un impact sur la qualité du café à des fins
techniques, commerciales, administratives et d'arbitrage, ainsi que pour le contrôle et l'inspection de la qualité.
La présente Norme internationale s'applique au café vert tel que défini dans l'ISO 3509.
2 Références normatives
Les documents de référence suivants sont indispensables pour l'application du présent document. Pour les
références datées, seule l'édition citée s'applique. Pour les références non datées, la dernière édition du
document de référence s'applique (y compris les éventuels amendements).
ISO 3509, Cafés et dérivés — Vocabulaire
ISO 4072, Café vert en sacs — Échantillonnage
ISO 10470:2004, Café vert — Table de référence des défauts
3 Termes et définitions
Pour les besoins du présent document, les termes et définitions donnés dans l'ISO 3509 s'appliquent.
4 Échantillonnage
Prendre un échantillon de laboratoire de 300 g, préparé conformément à l'ISO 4072. Le même échantillon de
laboratoire peut être utilisé ultérieurement pour l'analyse granulométrique (voir l'ISO 4150) à condition qu'il
soit intégralement reconstitué pour cet essai ultérieur.
5 Examen olfactif
5.1 Mode opératoire
5.1.1 L'examen olfactif doit être réalisé sur l'échantillon de laboratoire avant tout autre examen.
5.1.2 Après avoir enregistré les informations de l'étiquetage dans un formulaire d'enregistrement, ouvrir
l'emballage, approcher le nez le plus près possible de l'échantillon et sentir attentivement.
5.2 Évaluation
5.2.1 Évaluer l'odeur et l'enregistrer de la manière suivante:
a) «odeur normale» si aucune odeur désagréable ou étrangère au café n'est détectée;
b) «odeur anormale» si une odeur désagréable ou étrangère au café est détectée.
Lorsqu'elle est identifiable, il convient de décrire l'odeur étrangère en indiquant la matière à laquelle elle
appartient ou ce qu'elle suggère.
5.2.2 En cas de doute, s'il y a suspicion d'odeur anormale, remplir à moitié un récipient propre et sans
odeur
...