Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold
Coffee brewed on light, and very light-roast coffee beans have emerged as a recent trend among specialty coffee drinkers. The acidity of such light-roast coffee, and coffee in general, is an important sensory characteristic, as there is demonstrated a clear correlation between the roast level and pe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Food Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927123000539 |
| _version_ | 1797798043749187584 |
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| author | Christina J.Birke Rune Davide Giacalone Ida Steen Lars Duelund Morten Münchow Mathias Porsmose Clausen |
| author_facet | Christina J.Birke Rune Davide Giacalone Ida Steen Lars Duelund Morten Münchow Mathias Porsmose Clausen |
| author_sort | Christina J.Birke Rune |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coffee brewed on light, and very light-roast coffee beans have emerged as a recent trend among specialty coffee drinkers. The acidity of such light-roast coffee, and coffee in general, is an important sensory characteristic, as there is demonstrated a clear correlation between the roast level and perceived acidity in brewed coffee. The acidity is believed to be strongly linked to the content and composition of organic acids in coffee. Still, there is limited literature on acid content in brewed coffee and on the relevance of specific acid concentrations to sensory perception. In this study, we determined concentrations of acids and sugars in French-press brewed specialty coffee. We used varying roast degrees in the light to very light range using five coffees from different geographical locations (Brazil, Bolivia, and Kenya) and determined the sensory detection threshold and recognition for selected acids. The concentration of all individual acids except one (formic) either significantly decreased (citric, malic, and chlorogenic acid) or increased (acetic, lactic, phosphoric, quinic, and glycolic acid) systematically with an increasing roast degree, while no systematic trends were found between the different coffee samples. The sugar content decreased with an increasing roast degree. The sensory detection threshold for malic, acetic, and lactic acid was determined to be above the actual concentration of said acids in the coffee and just below for phosphoric acid, indicating that these compounds are unlikely to individually be perceived in coffee. Only citric acid can be clearly detected in the threshold test (not identified by experts in coffee) in concentrations above the measured concentrations, as the detection threshold was below (<0.16 g/L) the concentration found in the investigated coffees (0.23–0.60 g/L). The measured citric acid concentration was found to be much higher for the Brazil coffees (0.49 ± 0.08 g/L) compared to the Bolivia coffee (0.40 ± 0.11 g/L), and the Kenya coffees (0.30 ± 0.07 g/L). Furthermore, none of the acids added to the coffee were correctly recognized by coffee experts when spiked with measured average concentrations. Combined, the results question the direct relation between individual organic acids and acidity in coffee and point towards a more complex understanding of perceived acidity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:57:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb13d0f4d9004ffba68608520fdd4b27 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2665-9271 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:57:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Food Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb13d0f4d9004ffba68608520fdd4b272023-06-22T05:05:04ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Food Science2665-92712023-01-016100485Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory thresholdChristina J.Birke Rune0Davide Giacalone1Ida Steen2Lars Duelund3Morten Münchow4Mathias Porsmose Clausen5Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkDepartment of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkCoffeeMind, Hansstedvej 35, 2500, Valby, DenmarkDepartment of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, DenmarkCoffeeMind, Hansstedvej 35, 2500, Valby, DenmarkDepartment of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark; Corresponding author.Coffee brewed on light, and very light-roast coffee beans have emerged as a recent trend among specialty coffee drinkers. The acidity of such light-roast coffee, and coffee in general, is an important sensory characteristic, as there is demonstrated a clear correlation between the roast level and perceived acidity in brewed coffee. The acidity is believed to be strongly linked to the content and composition of organic acids in coffee. Still, there is limited literature on acid content in brewed coffee and on the relevance of specific acid concentrations to sensory perception. In this study, we determined concentrations of acids and sugars in French-press brewed specialty coffee. We used varying roast degrees in the light to very light range using five coffees from different geographical locations (Brazil, Bolivia, and Kenya) and determined the sensory detection threshold and recognition for selected acids. The concentration of all individual acids except one (formic) either significantly decreased (citric, malic, and chlorogenic acid) or increased (acetic, lactic, phosphoric, quinic, and glycolic acid) systematically with an increasing roast degree, while no systematic trends were found between the different coffee samples. The sugar content decreased with an increasing roast degree. The sensory detection threshold for malic, acetic, and lactic acid was determined to be above the actual concentration of said acids in the coffee and just below for phosphoric acid, indicating that these compounds are unlikely to individually be perceived in coffee. Only citric acid can be clearly detected in the threshold test (not identified by experts in coffee) in concentrations above the measured concentrations, as the detection threshold was below (<0.16 g/L) the concentration found in the investigated coffees (0.23–0.60 g/L). The measured citric acid concentration was found to be much higher for the Brazil coffees (0.49 ± 0.08 g/L) compared to the Bolivia coffee (0.40 ± 0.11 g/L), and the Kenya coffees (0.30 ± 0.07 g/L). Furthermore, none of the acids added to the coffee were correctly recognized by coffee experts when spiked with measured average concentrations. Combined, the results question the direct relation between individual organic acids and acidity in coffee and point towards a more complex understanding of perceived acidity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927123000539CoffeeOrganic acidsBrewRoastingOriginSugar |
| spellingShingle | Christina J.Birke Rune Davide Giacalone Ida Steen Lars Duelund Morten Münchow Mathias Porsmose Clausen Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold Current Research in Food Science Coffee Organic acids Brew Roasting Origin Sugar |
| title | Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| title_full | Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| title_fullStr | Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| title_short | Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| title_sort | acids in brewed coffees chemical composition and sensory threshold |
| topic | Coffee Organic acids Brew Roasting Origin Sugar |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927123000539 |
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