The Chemistry of Coffee

DOI 10.1007/s11947-011-0565-z
Part of Coffe Cherry
Processes of Coffee beans
 Fermentation
• The coffee fruit can be processed by three different methods,
referred to as dry, wet, and semi-dry.
• Wet processing is used mainly for Arabica coffee: the ripe
fruits are de-pulped and then submitted to 24–48 h of
underwater tank fermentation and dried until a final water
content of 10–12% is achieved.
• In dry processing, entire coffee fruits are dried (in the sun) on
platforms and/or on the floor without prior removal of the
pulp.
• Semi-dry processing is a combination of both methods, in
which coffee fruits are de-pulped, but the fermentation
process occurs directly under the sun on a platform.
• The number of studies devoted for microbiological aspects
of coffee is rather limited compared to cocoa fermentation.
• This may be due to the fact that fermentation of coffee
beans is almost restricted to the degradation of the
mucilage.
• Microbial interactions and biochemical changes between
pulp and bean observed for cocoa fermentation are poorly
understood in the coffee fermentation.
• Over 50 bacterial and yeast species that have been
identified during the coffee fermentation process that linked
to the processing method used
• Yeast and total bacteria populations are more diverse and are
present in greater numbers in dry processing than that in wet
or semi-dry
• On the other hand, LAB is isolated in high numbers in wet
processing due to the anaerobic or low oxygen conditions
present, which favor their development.
• In dry processing, the common species are Bacillus subtilis,
species of the Enterobacteriaceae family, Debaryomyces
hansenii, Pichia guilliermondii, and Aspergilus niger.
• In the wet and semi-dry processing, the species commonly
isolated are Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus
plantarum, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus cereus,
Hanseniaspora uvarum, and Pichia fermentans.
• Thus, the common species in all types of processing belong to
the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pichia genus
 Microbial Activities and Their Impact on
Coffee Quality
(i) degradation of pulp and mucilage materials;
(ii) positive contributions to coffee flavor and aroma; (More
than 700 volatile and nonvolatile compounds contributing
to the flavor of coffee have been identified, microbial
activity and the extent of fermentation will determine the
concentrations of free sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose) and
free amino acids that remain surrounding the bean and
subsequently contribute to the production )
(iii) negative contributions to flavor and aroma;
(iv) mycotoxin production and coffee safety; and
(v) biocontrol of quality.
• Coffee beans obtained by the fermentation process had
higher concentrations of volatiles such as alcohols, acids,
esters, aldehydes, and ketones and had more pleasant,
acceptable coffee aromas. In contrast, beans produced
without any fermentation were less rich in these volatiles
and exhibited unpleasant sulfurous aromas
• The presence of desirable microorganisms should be
controlled to produce some organic acids that improved
the final beverage quality. The presence of malic and citric
acids (>1 mg/mL) confers a desirable acidity to the final
beverage
Negative Contributions to Coffee Flavor and
Aroma
• Beans that are under-fermented contain
residual mucilage and sugars that impede the
drying process and encourage the growth of
spoilage bacteria and fungi.
• Unwanted production of microbial
compounds, especially butyric and propionic
acids which confer off-flavors, such as onion
taste (not be present in concentrations higher
than 1 mg/mL)
• Species of the Bacillus genus, especially B. megaterium, might
be responsible for the propionic acid found in coffees
processed via dry or natural method.
• The propionic acid is detected in high concentrations only
when the fermentative process is longer than it should be
(beyond 2 weeks in natural coffees)
• Over dry fermentation might also lead to excessive acetic acid
production by associated bacteria such as species of the
Enterobacteriaceae and acetic acid bacteria
• Over-fermentation may also generate short chain fatty acids
and their esters (2-methyl butanoic acid ethylester, 3-methyl
butanoic acid ethylester and cyclohexanoic acid ethylester)
that can prejudice coffee quality if presented at
concentrations higher than 1.8, 13.9, and 14 mg kg−1,
respectively .
 Chemical compound after fermentation

Caffeine, Chlorogenic Acids, and Trigonelline

• effects of wet and dry processing on the contents of caffeine
and chlorogenic acids of Arabica and Robusta coffees
• small losses of caffeine (3%) during the soaking phase of the
wet process as compared to the dry process
• chlorogenic acids were proved to be affected by processing,
not only with reference to total chlorogenic acids but also to
chlorogenic acid sub-groups or individual chlorogenic acids
• no influence of dry-processing was found on the content of
trigonelline in Robusta green coffee beans, but it was found
to be reduced by wet treatment
Free Amino Acids, Proteins, Peptides, and Biogenic Amines
• Free amino acids of the green beans are assigned to be the most
important coffee constituents (Free amino acids represent around 5% of
the nitrogen fraction are degraded during roasting to a very high
degree), but It were not able to demonstrate a clear effect of
Fermentation on individual or total free amino acids
• The amino acid not only concern the total free protein amino acids but
also individual compounds, for example, glutamic acid and gamma-
amino butyric acid (GABA).
• During dry processing, Green coffee beans rapidly decreased of glutamic
acid, and accompanied by a strong rise in the content of GABA.
• Untreated coffee beans hardly contain any GABA and via the wet
method exhibit only very small amounts of GABA.
• No specific impact of Fermentation on the proteins of green coffee
beans
• Bioactive amines of green coffee have been analyzed that mostly rather
in relation to off-flavors
• The corresponding Kopi Luwak from Indonesia is
prepared from beans, which had been eaten by the
palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) as entire
coffee cherries. The digested and excreted beans are
manually collected, washed, dried, and finally
roasted to produce one of the most expensive
coffees of the world. The digestion process seems to
have an effect on the protein composition of the
unroasted beans and also on the composition of
free amino acids
Low and High Molecular Carbohydrates
• The low molecular carbohydrates take part in caramelization, and together
with amino acids to produce important coffee flavor compounds via
Maillard reactions
• the carbohydrates cause for the characteristic flavor differences between
dry and wet process coffees
• the composition of low molecular carbohydrates like sucrose, fructose,
and glucose largely depends on mechanisms
• During the fermentation step of wet processing, Arabica coffee beans loss
sugars content
• Dry-processing of Robusta resulted lower content of fructose as compared
with wet treatment
• Sucrose of Arabica coffees is not significantly affected by the fermentation
• no specific impact of processing on the contents of the oligosaccharides
stachyose, raffinose, and rhamnose
Low and High Molecular Carbohydrates
• the contents of fructose and glucose are strongly
influenced by the postharvest treatment
• Unwashed Arabicas (green coffees prepared by dry
processing) contain relatively high contents of fructose and
glucose, the washed Arabicas (processed in parallel by the
wet method) exhibit markedly lower amounts of these
hexoses.
• the wet process coffee beans, the final content of glucose
and fructose was reduced drastically (up to 80–90%)
Lipids
• the lipids of coffee beans are not involved in Maillard reactions
during roasting, they reveal an important influence on the flavor
of the beverage (they solve hydrophobic flavor components and
thus significantly contribute to the mouthfeeling of the product)
• Undesired oxidations of triglycerides or free fatty acids are
considered to be the predominant cause of green coffee staling
during storage
• climatic and environmental factors have such a strong impact on
the fatty acid profile that they prevent any deductions of coffee
origin
• wet processed coffees reveal nearly a racemic mixture of
linalool, a significant increase in the lipid contents. In
corresponding dry processed coffees, an excess of S-(+)-linalool
was detected
 Roasting
• Roasting brings out the aroma and flavor that
is locked inside the green coffee beans
• Roasting causes chemical changes to take
place as the beans are rapidly brought to very
high temperatures
• Roasted beans smell like coffee, and weigh
less because the moisture has been roasted
out
Roasting Type
Light roasted : 180°C – 205°C, at
or around 205°C, the beans pop
or crack and expand in size
Medium roasts: 210°C and 220°C
between the end of the first
crack and just before the
beginning of the second crack.
Medium-dark roasts: 225°C or
230°C , The flavors and aromas of
become noticeable, and the taste
may be somewhat spicy
Dark roasted: 240°C (the end of
the second crack), seldom at
250°C (the body of the beans is
thin and the taste is
characterized by flavors of tar
and charcoal.
Roasting Classification
 Other Roasting Effects
 These phenolic compounds arise from thermal degradation of
chlorogenic acids (mainly ferulic, caffeic and quinic acids) and
their concentration in roasted bean is proportional to the
amount of chlorogenic acids present in green bean.
 Given there are significantly more chlorogenic acids present in
green bean of Robusta compared to Arabica, these volatiles
are thought to play a key role in the flavor differentiation
between these two varieties of coffee
 Quality of Coffee
• Coffee aroma is responsible for all coffee flavor attributes
other than the mouthfeel and sweet, salt, bitter, and
sour taste attributes that are perceived by the tongue
• It is probable that a relatively small group of compounds
that share both a high concentration and a low odor
threshold make up the fragrance we know as coffee
aroma.
• The volatile compounds largely account for the aromatic
properties, the nonvolatile compounds explain
properties such as acidity and bitterness
 Chemistry of Volatiles That Determine Cup
Quality
• especially during the roasting process and these include: Maillard or
nonenzymatic browning reactions between nitrogen containing substances,
amino acids, proteins, trigonelline, serotonin, carbohydrates, hydroxy-acids,
and phenols; degradation of individual amino acids, particularly, sulfur amino
acids, hydroxy amino acids, and proline; degradation of trigonelline;
degradation of sugars; degradation of phenolic acids, particularly the quinic
acid moiety; lipid degradation; and interaction between intermediate
decomposition products
• various researchers have identified the following groups of compounds as
contributing to the volatile profile of coffee aroma: 150 aliphatic compounds,
including 56 carbonyl compounds and 9 sulfur containing compounds; 20
alicyclic compounds, including 10 ketones; 60 aromatic benzenoid
compounds, including 16 phenols; and 300 heterocyclic compounds,
including 74 furans, 10 hydrofurans, 37 pyrroles, 9 pyridines, 2 quinolines, 70
pyrazines, 10 quinoxalines, 3 indoles, 23 thiophens, 3 thiophenones, 28
thiazoles, and 28 oxazoles.
Coffee and sleepy
• Caffeine absorbed through the small intestine and
dissolved into the bloodstream. Because the chemical is
both water- and fat-soluble, it’s able to penetrate the
blood-brain barrier and enter the brain.
• Structurally, caffeine closely resembles a molecule that’s
naturally present in our brain, called adenosine (which is
a byproduct of many cellular processes, including cellular
respiration). in fact, that caffeine can fit neatly into our
brain cells’ receptors for adenosine, effectively blocking
them off. Normally, the adenosine produced over time
locks into these receptors and produces a feeling of
tiredness.
• Additionally, some of the brain’s own natural stimulants
(such as dopamine) work more effectively when the
adenosine receptors are blocked, and all the surplus
adenosine floating around in the brain cues the adrenal
glands to secrete adrenaline, another stimulant.