Abstract
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide and, nowadays, one of the most practical way for its preparation is by prepacked capsules. The aim of this study was comparing the content in caffeine, trigonelline, N-methylpyridinium (NMP), niacin, and chlorogenic acids of 65 different capsule-brewed coffees, commercialised by 5 of the most representative brands in Italy. Coffees were prepared from capsules following manufacturer’s instructions and analysed with an optimized UHPLC-MS/MS method able to assess all these phytochemicals in one single run. Inter-lot and capsule variability were also studied for a subset of coffee capsules. Except for decaffeinated coffees, caffeine amount accounted between 54 and 208 mg/serving. Regular espresso coffees showed higher trigonelline, NMP, and niacin concentrations than large (lungo) and decaffeinated samples, with average serving amounts of 17.96, 1.78, and 0.66 mg, respectively. Regarding chlorogenic acids, caffeoylquinic acids were the most relevant ones (20–117 mg/serving). Feruloylquinic acids were quantified between 8 and 50 mg/serving. Coumaroylquinic acids, hydroxycinnamate dimers, caffeoylshikimic acids, and caffeoylquinic lactones were also present at lower concentrations. Multivariate analysis provided comprehensive information on the phytochemical profile of the different types of coffee, showing a great variability among coffees with some brand-related insights. This study supports the need for accurately characterizing espresso coffees while investigating the beneficial effects of coffee on human health.
Highlights
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, prepared from the roasted seeds of Coffea plant cultivars[1]
Among the different coffee machines used for espresso coffee (EC) preparation, domestic and bar machines have been flanked by portable electric machines which use small sealed plastic capsules or filters, pre-packed with given amounts of coffee powders[16]
3-O-Caffeoylquinic acid (3-caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs)), 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), caffeine, trigonelline, NMP, and niacin were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich
Summary
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, prepared from the roasted seeds of Coffea plant cultivars[1]. Several epidemiological and intervention studies confirmed that the consumption of three to six cups of coffee may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus, decreasing blood pressure, inflammatory markers and blood cholesterol[3,4,5,6] These effects are mainly attributed to the wide spectrum of bioactive compounds contained in coffee beverages, like niacin, the pyridine alkaloids trigonelline and N-methylpyridinium (NMP), the purine alkaloid caffeine and to phenolic compounds[7,8]. Trigonelline contributes to the flavour and taste of coffee, and the roasting process leads to the formation of two main trigonelline derivatives, namely NMP and nicotinic acid, a water-soluble B vitamin, known as niacin This last compound is highly bioavailable in coffee, more than in other food sources[11]. Capsule variability was assayed in order to show the variability existing between different lots of the same coffee powder as well as for the coffee machine along the day
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