<p>The light colored spots just look like 
chaff to me. It is common for there to be skin that stays connected to that middle fold of the bean. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-05T20:54:25.113Z
2018-08-05T20:54:25.113Z
Jim L.
<p><strong>These beans look completely healthy.</strong></p>

<p>One must consider the basic structure of a coffee bean, maybe. To better explain that, I <a href="https://duckduckgo.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ddg</a>'ed the web and end up with <a href="http://highroadcoffee.com/the-anatomy-of-the-coffee-bean/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this website</a> that perfectly illustrates the anatomy of a coffee bean.</p>

<p>The images used in this website are taken from academic studies as far as I understood, and named at the very end.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OOlgs.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OOlgs.jpg" alt="anatomy_of_a_coffee_bean"></a></p>

<p>As you can see in the first picture, the coffee cherries has</p>

<ul>
<li>A skin as a outermost layer (common to most fruits)</li>
<li>Then, a mucilage; the juicy part of the fruit</li>
<li>And then the parchment; a very thin skin that separates the juicy part from the bean</li>
</ul>

<p>Then, we have the bean. The bean has</p>

<ul>
<li>A silverskin; another thin skin that's attached to the bean (Sometimes called chaff, see <a href="https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2605/what-is-coffee-silver-skin">here</a>)</li>
<li>Endosperm; the most of the bean that we consume as coffee</li>
<li>Embryo; the gentic material in case you want to grow a new coffee offspring</li>
</ul>

<p>In the picture shown on the question, we see mostly chaff as the parchment is already gone during the processing of the beans before roasting.</p>

<p>Finally, this photo shows the chaffs and some parchment on the freshly grounded beans very nicely. This is exactly the sight you may see when you roast at home. (Taken from <a href="https://durak.org/photos/seandreilinger/2886640705/home-roasted-coffee-beans-chaff-parchment" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this website</a>).</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/yLjjD.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yLjjD.jpg" alt="coffee_beans_with_parchment_and_chaff"></a></p>

<hr>

<ul>
<li>Borem, F. ed. Pos-colheita do cafe. Lavras: Editora UFLA, 2008.</li>
<li>Castro, R. &amp; Marraccini, P. “Cytology, biochemistry and molecular changes during coffee fruit development.” Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology, vol. 18, Jan – Mar 2006.</li>
<li>Wintgens, J. N. Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sunstainable Production (2nd ed.). Weinhem: Wiley-VCH, 2009.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-10T13:08:30.723Z
Glad to see another Duck Duck Go user. I'm trying to find a good way to call a DDG search. One can say "I googled it" or "Google it". But saying "I ducked it" Or "Duck it", while funny - doesn't work.
Mayo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-10T15:02:40.643Z
@Mayo Ducksearch it? I don't know. Probably the site may lead people. They still call themselves DDG.
MTSan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-07T20:16:58.570Z
2018-08-08T13:16:07.053Z
2018-08-08T13:16:07.053Z
MTSan
<p>What are the light colored spots on the bean? Is this normal or is it mold?
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/xFQ1X.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xFQ1X.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-17T17:16:08.727Z
Can you circle the area of interest? I can relate both to the silver skin (light brown skin inside and at the middle of the bean) and the porous of some beans. One of them is normal (and good to have), but the other not so much.
Omar Miranda
<health><beans>
Are light coloured spots on beans mold?
sealfab
# Are light coloured spots on beans mold?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-05)

What are the light colored spots on the bean? Is this normal or is it mold?
[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/xFQ1X.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/xFQ1X.jpg)

**Tags:** health, beans

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you circle the area of interest? I can relate both to the silver skin (light brown skin inside and at the middle of the bean) and the porous of some beans. One of them is normal (and good to have), but the other not so much.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-05. Score: 5

The light colored spots just look like
chaff to me. It is common for there to be skin that stays connected to that middle fold of the bean.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-08-07. Score: 4

**These beans look completely healthy.**

One must consider the basic structure of a coffee bean, maybe. To better explain that, I [ddg](https://duckduckgo.com/)'ed the web and end up with [this website](http://highroadcoffee.com/the-anatomy-of-the-coffee-bean/) that perfectly illustrates the anatomy of a coffee bean.

The images used in this website are taken from academic studies as far as I understood, and named at the very end.

[![anatomy_of_a_coffee_bean](https://i.sstatic.net/OOlgs.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/OOlgs.jpg)

As you can see in the first picture, the coffee cherries has

* A skin as a outermost layer (common to most fruits)
* Then, a mucilage; the juicy part of the fruit
* And then the parchment; a very thin skin that separates the juicy part from the bean

Then, we have the bean. The bean has

* A silverskin; another thin skin that's attached to the bean (Sometimes called chaff, see [here](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2605/what-is-coffee-silver-skin))
* Endosperm; the most of the bean that we consume as coffee
* Embryo; the gentic material in case you want to grow a new coffee offspring

In the picture shown on the question, we see mostly chaff as the parchment is already gone during the processing of the beans before roasting.

Finally, this photo shows the chaffs and some parchment on the freshly grounded beans very nicely. This is exactly the sight you may see when you roast at home. (Taken from [this website](https://durak.org/photos/seandreilinger/2886640705/home-roasted-coffee-beans-chaff-parchment)).

[![coffee_beans_with_parchment_and_chaff](https://i.sstatic.net/yLjjD.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/yLjjD.jpg)

---

* Borem, F. ed. Pos-colheita do cafe. Lavras: Editora UFLA, 2008.
* Castro, R. & Marraccini, P. “Cytology, biochemistry and molecular changes during coffee fruit development.” Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology, vol. 18, Jan – Mar 2006.
* Wintgens, J. N. Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sunstainable Production (2nd ed.). Weinhem: Wiley-VCH, 2009.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Glad to see another Duck Duck Go user. I'm trying to find a good way to call a DDG search. One can say "I googled it" or "Google it". But saying "I ducked it" Or "Duck it", while funny - doesn't work.  
> **username_3**: @username_4 Ducksearch it? I don't know. Probably the site may lead people. They still call themselves DDG.  

---

