Serving Temperatures of Best-Selling Coffees in Two Segments of the Brazilian Food Service Industry Are "Very Hot".

Ian C C Nóbrega,Igor H L Costa,Dirk W Lachenmeier,Axel C Macedo,Yuri M Ishihara

doi:10.3390/foods9081047

Abstract

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified the consumption of “very hot” beverages (temperature >65 °C) as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, but there is no information regarding the serving temperature of Brazil’s most consumed hot beverage—coffee. The serving temperatures of best-selling coffee beverages in 50 low-cost food service establishments (LCFS) and 50 coffee shops (CS) were studied. The bestsellers in the LCFS were dominated by 50 mL shots of sweetened black coffee served in disposable polystyrene (PS) cups from thermos flasks. In the CS, 50 mL shots of freshly brewed espresso served in porcelain cups were the dominant beverage. The serving temperatures of all beverages were on average 90% and 68% above 65 °C in the LCFS and CS, respectively (P95 and median value of measurements: 77 and 70 °C, LCFS; 75 and 69 °C, CS). Furthermore, the cooling periods of hot water systems (50 mL at 75 °C and 69 °C in porcelain cups; 50 mL at 77 °C and 70 °C in PS cups) to 65 °C were investigated. When median temperatures of the best-selling coffees are considered, consumers should allow a minimum cooling time before drinking of about 2 min at both LCFS and CS.

Highlights

It is well established that Brazil is the world’s largest producer and exporter of coffee [1,2], but coffee consumption aspects in the country are less known
Based on the previous considerations, the aim of this paper is to provide an initial set of data on the serving temperatures of best-selling coffee-based hot beverages from two socio-economic segments of the Brazilian food service industry: coffee shops and low-cost food service establishments
We studied the cooling behavior of hot water system representatives of coffees served at low-cost food service establishments (LCFS) and coffee shops (CS), and these included variations in cup materials, ambient temperatures (30 ◦ C and 25 ◦ C) and initial temperatures

Summary

Introduction

It is well established that Brazil is the world’s largest producer and exporter of coffee [1,2], but coffee consumption aspects in the country are less known. The other is a German study published in 2018 on the recorded serving temperatures of 356 coffee beverages in the food service industry and the dispensing temperatures of 110 coffees in private households; the measured temperatures were on average 10 ◦ C above the IARC threshold temperature both in the household and in the food service industry (mean value of all measurements: 75 ◦ C; standard deviation: 5 ◦ C) [22] These high serving temperatures are probably related to the commonly recommended temperature of ~93 ◦ C for brewing coffee [23]. The results are mainly discussed in terms of the IARC threshold temperature and in light of practical recommendations for coffee consumers

Laboratory

Calibration Checking of Thermometers

Coffee Temperatures in Low-Cost Food Service Establishments and Coffee Shops

Discussion