The formation of chemical compounds during the Maillard reaction has been widely debated in the last decades, both in the quality context and in the volatile compounds that may suffer a reduction as a function of the reaction. 5-Hydroxymethylfuraldehyde is a compound widely present in roasted coffee, and recently the discussion was on the formation of acrylamide via the HMF pathway but more efficiently than glucose in the Maillard, Gökmen et al. (2012). This is indicating that the contribution of HMF and other carbonyls in sugar dehydration should be considered as a potential contributor to the formation of acrylamide, and because this compound is a probable carcinogen, in which several studies have been conducted to evaluate levels of HMF reduction in roasted coffee with yeast and bacteria. This study applied the model of Akillioglu et al. (2013) in different forms of wet processing at different altitudes to verify the efficacy of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a potential reducing agent for HMF levels through wet-processing in arabica coffee. After the processing, the samples were submitted to the same roasting model (medium/light). The volatiles were collected by headspace on the CAR/PDMS/DVB fiber and injected into the gas chromatograph coupled to the mass spectrometer. The results indicated efficacy of the tests using Saccharomyces cerevisiae for HMF, but no significant functional relationships were observed between the compound and the altitude for the totally washed processing; however, for the semi-dry treatment, a linear functional relationship was observed between compound and altitude. The results indicate that the type of processing applied to the coffee can be determinant for the formation of some chemical compounds. It is necessary to explore the levels of HMF and its derivatives in function of the different wet processing, aiming at the balance between food safety and the sensorial quality.