Many drink it every day, whether in the morning to wake them up, in between for moments of pleasure or simply out of habit: coffee.
Many even drink it several times a day. But what ingredients does coffee really contain?
As the second most important commodity, coffee is given a major role by many people. Regular coffee consumption is said to have many positive properties. But what ingredients does the coffee bean really contain? Coffee contains over 1000 ingredients, not all of which have yet been chemically decoded. The type of coffee, growth conditions and type of roasting determine how high the actual proportions of the substances in the coffee beans are.
The most important components of coffee
Since not all the ingredients of the coffee bean are known – and only a comparatively small number of them are really important – only the most relevant substances are listed here. These include: carbohydrates, fats, water, proteins, acids, alkaloids (caffeine), minerals and vitamins as well as flavorings. However, many of these ingredients in green coffee do not make it into the coffee drink.
About a third of the coffee bean consists of carbohydrates. During the roasting process, these are converted to other compounds or even broken down completely. However, the remaining water-insoluble sugars end up in the coffee grounds during the infusion. Around 10-20 percent take in fats. These are also largely insoluble in water and are therefore found almost exclusively in green coffee. Before roasting, the coffee bean has a 10 to 13 percent water content, which shrinks to two to three percent during the roasting process. During storage, the coffee again absorbs some moisture from its surroundings. Proteins make up another ten percent. Due to the high heat exposure during roasting, these either combine with other substances or are destroyed. The more than 80 different acids make up between four and twelve percent, with chlorogenic acid accounting for the largest share. Other acids are linoleic acid, palmitic acid, acetic acid, citric acid and malic acid. Many of them are largely responsible for the aroma of the subsequent coffee drink.
The most important components of coffee are the alkaloids. Alkaloids are nitrogenous substances, including the stimulating caffeine. Around three to five percent of the raw coffee contains minerals, of which around 90 percent end up in the coffee drink. The minerals mainly include potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Sulphur, manganese and iron also occur in small amounts. There are also vitamins in coffee. One of the best known is the B vitamin group. These include vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). The relevant components of coffee also include the aromatic substances. There are over 800 flavorings, but these are only created during roasting through a reaction called Maillard. The Maillard reaction (named after the French scientist Louis Camille Maillard) is a non-enzymatic browning reaction and should not be confused with caramelization. However, both reactions can occur together. Accordingly, the green coffee is rather odorless.
