Breeding, roasting, brewing: On the track of coffee's chemistry.
In a review article, IPB chemists and Egyptian scientists compared different MS- and NMR-based metabolomics technologies for determining the chemical composition of coffee beans and beverages. They focused on the suitability of the analytical methods for well-founded quality control of individual coffee products. The scientists were looking for those methods or combinations of analytical approaches that are best suited to identify quality marker substances or to generate specific metabolite profiles that are characteristic not only for particular coffee varieties but also for the respective roasting or brewing process. The analysis of the complex coffee metabolome, which transforms during processing, is becoming increasingly important for traders and industrial processors of the aromatic beans. In particular, reliable detection methods are needed to counteract the contamination of roasted coffee with sugar, corn, or soybeans, or the dilution of high-quality Arabica coffee with Robusta varieties of inferior quality.
