Increasing the Sustainability of the Coffee Agro-Industry: Spent Coffee Grounds as a Source of New Beverages

Ercília Machado,José Teixeira,José Oliveira,Solange Mussatto,Mar Vilanova

doi:10.3390/beverages4040105

Abstract

This work describes a new process for the production of beverages from spent coffee grounds (SCG), as well as the chemical and sensory profiles. The process consisted of the extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds of SCG, followed by the fermentation of this extract supplemented with sucrose and fermented broth distillation. Thus, two fermented (10.4% and 10.0% of ethanol, by volume) and two distillated (38.1% and 40.2% of ethanol, by volume) beverages were obtained. A total of 45 and 59 volatile compounds (alcohols, esters, aldehydes, terpenes, lactones, pyrazines, norisoprenoids, volatile phenols and acids) identified and quantified by GC-MS characterized the aroma and flavor of the fermented and distilled beverages, respectively. Twenty sensory descriptors define the sensory profile of the two beverages which corroborated the pleasant smell and taste of coffee in the distillate beverage. Therefore, this work demonstrates that the fermented and distilled beverages obtained from spent coffee grounds have acceptable organoleptic qualities that make them suitable for human consumption.

Highlights

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) that are obtained during the process of raw coffee powder production to prepare instant coffee is a waste generated in large amounts in the coffee industry [1]
The aim of this work was to study the process for the elaboration of fermented and distilled beverages from spent coffee grounds (SCG), as well as chemical characterization of volatile compounds and determination of the sensory profile
Two fermentations were performed that afterwards were submitted to a distillation process in order to obtain two distilled beverages: distilled beverage 1 (D1) and distilled beverage 2 (D2)

Summary

Introduction

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) that are obtained during the process of raw coffee powder production to prepare instant coffee is a waste generated in large amounts in the coffee industry [1]. This waste has a composition rich in compounds of industrial interest such as carbohydrates, proteins, and high levels of phenolic compounds with significant antioxidant activity [2]. This residue presents an extraordinary residual aroma of roasted coffee beans, being an interesting feedstock for the production of a new distilled beverage [3]. This technique has little impact on the environment, compared to traditional techniques, and MAE has aroused great interest for its application in the extraction

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