Volatile compounds as potential defective coffee beans’ markers

Although Brazil is the largest raw coffee producer and exporter in the world, a large amount of its Arabica coffee production is considered inappropriate for exportation. This by-product of coffee industry is called PVA due to the presence of black (P), green (V) and sour (A) defective beans, which are known to contribute considerably for cup quality decrease. Data on the volatile composition of Brazilian defective coffee beans are scarce. In this study, we evaluated the volatile composition of defective coffee beans (two lots) compared to good quality beans from the respective lots. Potential defective beans’ markers were identified. In the raw samples, 2-methylpyrazine and 2-furylmethanol acetate were identified only in black-immature beans and butyrolactone only in sour beans, while benzaldehyde and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine showed to be potential markers of defective beans in general. In the roasted PVA beans, pyrazine, 2,3-butanediol meso, 2-methyl-5-(1-propenyl)pyrazine, hexanoic acid, 4-ethyl-guayacol and isopropyl p-cresol sulfide also showed to be potential defective coffee beans’ markers.     

Proximate composition and fatty acids profile of green and roasted defective coffee beans

Defective coffee beans are responsible for the depreciation of the quality of roasted coffee consumed in Brazil. The extraction of the oil of defective beans for applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors is being considered as an alternative use for those beans. The objective of this work was to determine the composition of the fatty acid fraction of the pressed oil and the proximate composition of crude defective beans in order to provide subsidiary information for proposals of alternative uses for these beans. The amounts of oil extracted from the defective beans were smaller than the amounts extracted from healthy mature beans. The fatty acid composition of oils from defective beans was not significantly different than that from healthy mature coffee beans.     

基于机器视觉的咖啡生豆快速检测与分级研究

目的 为了实现咖啡生豆的快速无损等级评估,建立一种基于机器视觉的咖啡生豆快速检测分级方法。方法 本次研究提取咖啡生豆图像预处理后的形状和颜色共13种特征,首先通过特征分布图分析与主成分分析找到13类缺陷豆的显著特征,并确定其显著特征值范围来判定缺陷豆,然后对正常豆按粒度大小判断其等级,最后在MATLAB App Designer平台上设计了咖啡生豆快速检测与分级界面。结果 研究表明,利用机器视觉技术能很好地识别各个类别咖啡生豆,检测一级咖啡生豆准确率为94.77%、二级为93.2%、三级为95.85%,13类缺陷豆平均准确率为82.25%,咖啡生豆检测平均准确率达到91.52%,检测300g咖啡生豆总用时25.3156s。结论 提高了咖啡生豆分级的智能化水平,分级过程平稳且快速,为今后咖啡生豆在线检测分选提供了技术支持。     

An investigation into green coffee press cake as a renewable source of bioactive compounds

The residual biomass of coffee, obtained after the oil extraction from coffee beans, called coffee beans residual press cake, has been attracted interest as a source of compounds with antioxidant capacity. This study investigated the effects of ethanolic and methanol-acetone extracts of green coffee beans (GCB) and its residual press cake (GCC) on the phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. Antioxidant capacity was assayed through five different methods (total phenolic compounds, •DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and β-carotene bleaching assay), and the phenolic profile of the samples through High Performance Liquid Cromatography. GCB and GCC enclosed chlorogenic (55.16 and 64.96 mg g⁻¹, respectively) and caffeic (25.07 and 44.37 mg g⁻¹, respectively) acids as the major components, and the cake presented higher antioxidant capacity than the actual green bean. Antioxidant capacity was higher for GCC extracted with methanol and acetone. This study on the evaluation of the effects of the type of solvent on the bioactive compounds from GCB and GCC showed that this by-product can be a source of new value-added products, such as phenolic antioxidant adjuncts for food or pharmaceutic processing.     

咖啡精油超临界CO2萃取工艺优化及理化特性分析

以云南保山小粒咖啡豆为对象,根据国家标准,测定生、熟咖啡豆的营养成分,在单因素实验的基础上,以响应面优化超临界CO₂萃取咖啡精油的工艺参数;测定生、熟咖啡精油理化指标,并通过气相色谱-氢火焰离子化检测器（GC-FID）分析生、熟咖啡精油的脂肪酸组成。结果表明:经烘焙处理后,熟咖啡豆中水分、水浸出物、咖啡因、总糖、粗纤维和粗脂肪含量与生咖啡豆中的存在显著差异（P<0.05）;超临界CO₂萃取生咖啡精油的最佳工艺条件为萃取压力25 MPa,萃取温度54 ℃,萃取时间150 min,在此条件下咖啡精油萃取得率为13.98%。烘焙处理前后,咖啡精油各常规理化指标无显著差异,且均符合国家标准要求。通过GC-FID分别检测到15和16种脂肪酸,其中亚油酸、棕榈酸、硬脂酸和油酸等为主要脂肪酸,烘焙对咖啡豆脂肪酸组成影响不明显,但各脂肪酸的含量存在一定差异。烘焙对咖啡豆及咖啡精油的各项指标均有一定程度的影响,为云南地区咖啡产业发展提供科学依据。     

Effect of packaging materials and storage time on changes of colour,phenolic content,chlorogenic acid and antioxidant activity in arabica green coffee beans (Coffea arabica L. cv. Catimor)

The conditions and storage time of green coffee beans are very important for the commercial quality of coffee. This includes factors such as light, humidity and temperature in the warehouse and also the packaging material used. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of type of packaging materials namely high density polyethylene (HDPE) bag and jute sack on moisture content, colour, phenolic contents, chlorogenic acids content and antioxidant activity of Arabica green coffee bean during 15 months of storage. The results show that HDPE bag can preserve the moisture content, colour and chlorogenic acid in green coffee beans (GCB) better than a jute sack during storage. No significant difference of phenolics content in green coffee beans was observed during 4 months of storage in both types of packaging. During initial 10 months of storage the antioxidant activity of GCB stored in HDPE showed higher values than that of GCB stored in jute sack. However, after 1 year of storage, the phenolics content and antioxidant activity in GCB in a jute sack were higher than in HDPE bag. The fluctuation of moisture content could lead to stress condition of green coffee bean and contributing to forming of bioactive compounds. This finding was observed and need further investigation.     

Evaluation of green coffee beans quality using near infrared spectroscopy: A quantitative approach

Characterisation of coffee quality based on bean quality assessment is associated with the relative amount of defective beans among non-defective beans. It is therefore important to develop a methodology capable of identifying the presence of defective beans that enables a fast assessment of coffee grade and that can become an analytical tool to standardise coffee quality. In this work, a methodology for quality assessment of green coffee based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is proposed. NIRS is a green chemistry, low cost, fast response technique without the need of sample processing. The applicability of NIRS was evaluated for Arabica and Robusta varieties from different geographical locations. Partial least squares regression was used to relate the NIR spectrum to the mass fraction of defective and non-defective beans. Relative errors around 5% show that NIRS can be a valuable analytical tool to be used by coffee roasters, enabling a simple and quantitative evaluation of green coffee quality in a fast way.     

Effect of shading on yield, sugar content, phenolic acids and antioxidant property of coffee beans (Coffea Arabica L. cv. Catimor) harvested from north-eastern Thailand

BACKGROUND: Environmental conditions, including shading, generally influence the physical and chemical qualities of coffee beans. The present study assessed the changes in some phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and agronomic characters of coffee beans (Coffea arabica L. cv. Catimor) as affected by different shading conditions including full sun, three artificial shading conditions using a saran covering (50% shade, 60% shade, and 70% shade) and lychee shade. RESULTS: Bean weight and bean size increased significantly (P < 0.05) when the shade level was progressively increased. The coffee beans grown under lychee shade exhibited superior bean yield, 1000‐bean weight, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to all other beans. Chlorogenic acid was the most predominant phenolic acid in all samples studied, being the highest in the beans grown under lychee shade, followed by 60% shade, 70% shade, 50% shade and full sun, respectively. In contrast, bean grown under full sun had the highest amount of vanillic acid and caffeic acid. CONCLUSIONS: Antioxidant activity was highly positively associated with chlorogenic acid content. The content of total sugar (fructose, glucose and sucrose) was found highest in coffee beans grown in 60% shade, with fructose the predominant sugar. Under climatic conditions similar to this experiment, it is advisable that growers provide shade to the coffee crop to reduce heat from direct sunlight and promote yield as well as obtain good quality coffee beans. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Discrimination between defective and non-defective Brazilian coffee beans by their volatile profile

The coffee roasted in Brazil is considered to be of low quality, due to the presence of defective coffee beans that depreciate the beverage quality. In view of the fact that coffee flavour is directly related to the volatile compounds produced during roasting, the objective of the present study was to perform a comparative evaluation of the volatile fraction of defective (black, immature, sour) and healthy coffee beans, in order to find possible chemical markers for detection of defective coffee beans in roasted coffee. Volatiles extraction and concentration was performed by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) of the roasted coffee headspace, using a triple phase (divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane) fiber. Analysis of the volatile profiles was performed by GC–MS. The results obtained showed that the proposed methodology was adequate for extraction, concentration and analysis of the coffees volatile profile. Several substances were identified as possible markers for differentiating black, sour and immature beans from healthy coffee beans. Statistical analysis of the data by principal components (PCA) demonstrated that the volatile profile enables the differentiation of healthy and defective coffees. The data were separated into two major groups, one represented by immature and black beans and the other by healthy and sour coffee beans. Such results indicated that black and sour beans can be associated to fermentation of immature and of healthy beans, respectively.     

Evaluation of the potential of FTIR and chemometrics for separation between defective and non-defective coffees

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for the discrimination of defective and non-defective coffee beans. Defective (black, immature and sour) and non-defective Arabica coffee beans were submitted to FTIR analysis by transmittance readings employing KBr discs and reflectance readings employing attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and diffuse reflectance (DR) accessories. Multivariate statistical analysis (PCA, clusters) was performed in order to verify the possibility of discrimination between defective and non-defective coffee samples. A clear separation between defective and non-defective coffee beans was observed, based on both PCA and cluster analysis of the reflectance spectra (ATR and DR accessories) and of the first derivatives of the transmittance spectra (KBr discs). Such results indicate that FTIR analysis has the potential for the development of a fast and reliable analytical methodology for the discrimination between defective and non-defective coffee beans.     

A comparative study of chemical attributes and levels of amines in defective green and roasted coffee beans

Differences in chemical attributes (proximate composition, water activity, sucrose, acidity and pH levels) and amine levels between defective and healthy coffee beans were studied. Before roasting, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed for the ash contents of the coffee samples, with the highest values found for black beans. Moisture content was higher for non-defective beans in comparison to defective beans. Non-defective coffee beans had higher lipids contents than both sour and black beans. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) for protein levels between defective and non-defective beans. After roasting, protein levels remained constant, there was a small decrease in ash contents and a slight increase in oil contents of black and sour beans. Both black and sour beans had higher acidity levels than immature and non-defective beans. Acidity levels decreased after roasting. Water activity levels also decreased with roasting, with slightly higher levels for defective beans in comparison to non-defective ones. Sucrose levels were much higher in non-defective beans, and the lowest values were in black beans, prior to roasting. After roasting, only traces of sucrose were found. Total amine levels were much lower for black beans, in comparison to the other coffee samples. Putrescine was the prevailing amine in all samples. Histamine was only detected in the defective coffee samples. Small amounts of serotonin, cadaverine and tryptamine were found in some of the samples. After roasting to a light degree, only traces of serotonin were detected and no amines were detected after roasting to medium and dark degrees.     

Correlation between cup quality and chemical attributes of Brazilian coffee

Brazilian arabica coffee is classified for trading according to the quality of the beverage obtained after roasting and brewing. In the present study, Brazilian green and roasted coffee beans were investigated for possible correlations between cup quality and the levels of sucrose, caffeine, trigonelline and chlorogenic acids, determined by HPLC analysis. Trigonelline and 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid levels in green and roasted coffee correlated strongly with high quality. To a lesser extent, caffeine levels were also associated with good quality. On the other hand, the amount of defective beans, the levels of caffeoylquinic acids (predominantly 5-caffeoyilquinic acid), feruloylquinic acids, and their oxidation products were associated with poor cup quality and with the Rio-off-flavor. The fact that similar correlations between cup quality and chemical attributes were observed in green and light roasted samples – the latter used for coffee cup classification – indicates that chemical analysis of green beans may be used as an additional tool for coffee quality evaluation.     

Chemical characterisation of non-defective and defective green arabica and robusta coffees by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)

The coffee roasted in Brazil is considered to be of low quality, due to the presence of defective coffee beans that depreciate the beverage quality. These beans, although being separated from the non-defective ones prior to roasting, are still commercialized in the coffee trading market. Thus, it was the aim of this work to verify the feasibility of employing ESI-MS to identify chemical characteristics that will allow the discrimination of Arabica and Robusta species and also of defective and non-defective coffees. Aqueous extracts of green (raw) defective and non-defective coffee beans were analyzed by direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and this technique provided characteristic fingerprinting mass spectra that not only allowed for discrimination of species but also between defective and non-defective coffee beans. ESI-MS profiles in the positive mode (ESI(+)-MS) provided separation between defective and non-defective coffees within a given species, whereas ESI-MS profiles in the negative mode (ESI(−)-MS) provided separation between Arabica and Robusta coffees.     

Coffea arabica beans microstructural changes induced by roasting: An X-ray microtomographic investigation

The present work reports on a microstructural characterization of Coffea arabica beans in the course of roasting by means of X-ray microtomography technique (μCT). In fact, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the capability of μCT as a useful tool for the characterization of microstructure of C. arabica beans at different roasting times: from green to very dark. μCT is a non-invasive technique that has the ability to image low moisture materials by using the differences in X-ray attenuation arising, mainly, from differences in density within the specimen. Green coffee beans were roasted and sampled at the following roasting times; 2, 3, 4 and 5 min. Several parameters such as percentage object volume (POV), density, total volume and pore size distributions were calculated for each roasting time and their variations discussed. The results from this study show how the microstructure of the coffee bean evolves with increasing roasting time, for example, the increase in total pore volume, the increase in porosity and density due to the rupture of bonds in the internal structure of the coffee beans during roasting. μCT has proven to be a suitable technique for microstructural analysis of roasted foods such as coffee bean and provides an accurate analysis of the pores and microstructure during the roasting process.     

云南不同地区烘焙咖啡豆主要成分分析及类黑精组成成分

以云南3个咖啡主产区(普洱、怒江、德宏)的生咖啡豆为原料,通过不同程度(轻度、中度、重度)烘焙,对其主要成分进行分析,并提取类黑精,采用热裂解-气相色谱-质谱(pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry,Py-GC-MS)联用技术分析咖啡类黑精的化学组成。结果显示:随着烘焙程度加深,咖啡豆的蛋白质和粗脂肪含量增加,总氨基酸含量降低,其中蛋白质含量最高为重度烘焙后的普洱咖啡豆(16.3 g/100 g),氨基酸含量最高为普洱生咖啡豆(9.41%),粗脂肪含量最高为中度烘焙后的德宏咖啡豆(13.85 g/100 g),矿物质元素中含量较高的为K、Mg、P、Ca,普洱咖啡豆经重度烘焙后K含量最高(2.2 g/100 g)。Py-GC-MS分析结果表明:不同产地、不同烘焙程度咖啡豆的类黑精组成差异明显,但也存在共性特征,咖啡因和酸类相对含量最高,其次是胺类、酯类、酚类、吡咯类、呋喃类、吡啶类、醛类、醇类、酮类等。     

Coffee Antioxidant Properties: Effects of Milk Addition and Processing Conditions

ABSTRACT: In the human diet, coffee is the major source of caffeoyl-quinic acids known as powerful antioxidants. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of usual coffee consumption, such as the addition of milk, and of processing conditions, such as spray-drying, on beverage antioxidant power and potential polyphenol bioavailability impairments. When 25% milk was added to coffee, up to 40% of coffee chlorogenic acid were found to be bound to dairy proteins, using an ultrafiltration technique. However, neither milk addition nor spray-drying had a significant effect on beverage antioxidant power, evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2-2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) tests. Moreover, these interactions tended to decrease during in vitro gastric and intestinal digestion, thus suggesting that interactions between chlorogenic acid and milk proteins in coffee and milk beverage may not have any significant effect on coffee antioxidant power before and after consumption.     

Confirmation that the Maillard reaction is the principle contributor to the antioxidant capacity of coffee brews

Chemical characteristics related to the antioxidant activity of roasted coffee (RC) were evaluated, using non-roasted coffee beans (NRC) and model Maillard reaction products (MRPs) as controls. The formation of MRPs and the degradation of phenolics in RC were characterized by employing a battery of fluorescence, UV-vis spectra and tri-stimulus color parameters measured on NRC, RC and the model MRPs. Total chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeine contents in NRC and RC extracts were also quantified using HPLC. Both RC and controls showed high antioxidant activity in three chemical based assays irrespective of caffeine content. Data from this study suggested that natural phenolics present in NRC had higher antioxidant activity compared to MRPs derived from coffee and model MR systems. However, MRPs were the prevailing antioxidants in RC as free CGA was lost (> 90%). The mechanisms of the antioxidant action associated with coffee MRPs involved hydrogen atom transfer and single electron transfer mechanisms.     

Discrimination between immature and mature green coffees by attenuated total reflectance and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the characterization and discrimination between immature and mature or ripe coffee beans. Arabica coffee beans were submitted to FTIR analysis by reflectance readings employing attenuated total reflectance (ATR) and diffuse reflectance (DR) accessories. The obtained spectra were similar, but in general higher absorbance values were observed for nondefective beans in comparison to immature ones. Multivariate statistical analysis (principal component analysis, PCA, and agglomerative hierarchical clustering, AHC) was performed in order to verify the possibility of discrimination between immature and mature coffee samples. A clear separation between immature and mature coffees was observed based on AHC and PCA analyses of the normalized spectra obtained by employing both ATR and DR accessories. Linear discriminant analysis was employed for developing classification models, with recognition and prediction abilities of 100%. Such results showed that FTIR analysis presents potential for the development of a simple routine methodology for separation of immature and mature coffee beans. Practical Application: The ultimate goal of this research is to be able to propose improvements in the way immature coffee beans are separated from graded mature beans in coffee facilities (cooperatives and other coffee producer's associations). The results obtained herein point toward FTIR as a potential tool for the aimed improvements.     

Sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) as a source of antioxidant phenolics

Sword beans (Canavalia gladiata) have been used as grain legumes and medicinal plants in China for thousands of years. To explore new natural antioxidant sources, the antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition in the soluble and bound fractions of three sword bean genotypes were evaluated in vitro. The red and black sword beans were found to have antioxidant capacity compared to the white sword bean, and this was attributed to their red and black bean coats, which possessed extremely high phenolic content. Gallic acid and its derivatives, such as methyl gallate, digalloyl hexoside and digallic acid, were the main phenolic compounds in the coats of red and black sword beans. Therefore, the red and black sword beans, especially their bean coats, are good sources of antioxidant phenolics and may have potential health benefits.     

Amino acid profiles in unripe Arabica coffee fruits processed using wet and dry methods

The quality of natural coffee produced in Brazil is quite variable. Fruits at different stages of maturation can be found on the same plant, and unripe fruits are naturally present during the harvest. The pulping of ripe fruits can be effectively used to improve the quality of the coffee, as the ripe fruits will be separated from the unripe fruits; however, the presence of a portion of unripe fruit (with lower quality) in the processing is unavoidable. The wet processing of immature coffee fruit appears to be a potential way of improving its quality. According to the coffee processing used post-harvest, changes were observed in the levels of free amino acids in immature coffee beans. Among the amino acids present, asparagine is the primary amino acid found in unripe coffee beans. Asparagine produces acrylamide, a potentially harmful substance generated during the course of the Maillard reaction. In this study, amino acids in immature coffee beans were analysed using reversed-phase chromatography and ultraviolet detection after the derivatisation with phenylisothiocyanate. The amino acid profiles of the immature coffee beans demonstrated that asparagine is present at more significant levels when immature coffee fruits were processed via dry processing, as compared to wet processing.