A requirement for a new food ingredient, whether it be functional or not, is that it be safe; this ingredient would become even more valuable if it also contributed to food safety. Due to the fact that coffee has antimicrobial activity, and spent coffee extracts contain the same bioactive compounds, discussed earlier in this paper, these extracts would probably be good candidates as suitable food ingredients for preventing or delaying microbial growth that may cause food borne-diseases or food spoilage.