Chapter Points
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Coffee beans are a rich source of biologically active compounds such as caffeine, chlorogenic acids, nicotinic acid, trigonelline, cafestol, and kahweol, which have significant potential as antioxidants.
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Antioxidant capacity of coffee brew is affected by the bioactive composition of green beans and post-harvest processing conditions (drying, storage, roasting, and grinding).
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Roasting process results in development of Maillard reaction products, induced by high temperatures and water loss, which are found to be powerful antioxidants.
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Overall antioxidant capacity of coffee brew can be attributed to the presence of remaining native and newly formed antioxidants during the roasting process.
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Progressive reduction of antioxidant capacity of coffee brew is related to the roasting degree of coffee beans, showing the highest capacity in medium-roasted coffee due to the balance between the degradation of phenolic compounds and generation of Maillard reaction products (melanoidins) during this process.
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Heterocyclic compounds present in coffee also contribute to antioxidant capacity of the brew, probably through the synergistic effect.
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Coffee by-products, such as coffee silverskin and spent coffee, have shown good potential as functional food ingredients.