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Analysis of Caffeine and Antioxidant Content of Ethiopian Coffee Varieties from Different Growing Areas

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Quality coffee consumption is increasing nowadays; however, quality can only be achieved through appropriate cultivation and processing techniques. The study is aimed at using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometric techniques for evaluating different coffee varieties grown in Ethiopia based on caffeine, antioxidant, and polyphenol content. Despite coming from various coffee-growing regions, all of the tested coffee varieties (heirloom, forest coffee, heirloom 2, bourbon, mixed heirloom, and catuai) underwent wet processing. The data revealed that the caffeine content ranged from 0.14 to 0.37 mg/g, total antioxidant content from 63.75 to 78.05 mg AAE/g, and total polyphenol content from 27.08 to 31.04 mg GAE/g in the selected varieties. The findings show that the amount of the identified compounds is significantly (p ≤ 0 05) influenced by the variety type, growing area, and processing (intensity of roasting). The different coffee varieties were also tested for sensory quality, and the findings suggest that the typical coffee drinker prefers fruity flavors in their coffee, along with medium acidity and roasting intensity levels. The cultivation and processing technologies used in coffee production have a significant impact on the quality and sensory enjoyment of coffee.
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Research Article
Analysis of Caffeine and Antioxidant Content of Ethiopian Coffee
Varieties from Different Growing Areas
Beatrix Sik , Erika Lakatos , Henrietta Bura, and Rita Székelyhidi
Department of Food Science, Széchenyi István University, Lucsony Street 15-17, 9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Hungary
Correspondence should be addressed to Rita Székelyhidi; szekelyhidi.rita@sze.hu
Received 6 July 2023; Revised 22 August 2023; Accepted 2 September 2023; Published 11 September 2023
Academic Editor: Miguel Rebollo-Hernanz
Copyright © 2023 Beatrix Sik et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Quality coee consumption is increasing nowadays; however, quality can only be achieved through appropriate cultivation and
processing techniques. The study is aimed at using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometric
techniques for evaluating dierent coee varieties grown in Ethiopia based on caeine, antioxidant, and polyphenol content.
Despite coming from various coee-growing regions, all of the tested coee varieties (heirloom, forest coee, heirloom 2,
bourbon, mixed heirloom, and catuai) underwent wet processing. The data revealed that the caeine content ranged from 0.14
to 0.37 mg/g, total antioxidant content from 63.75 to 78.05 mg AAE/g, and total polyphenol content from 27.08 to 31.04 mg
GAE/g in the selected varieties. The ndings show that the amount of the identied compounds is signicantly (p0 05)
inuenced by the variety type, growing area, and processing (intensity of roasting). The dierent coee varieties were also
tested for sensory quality, and the ndings suggest that the typical coee drinker prefers fruity avors in their coee, along
with medium acidity and roasting intensity levels. The cultivation and processing technologies used in coee production have a
signicant impact on the quality and sensory enjoyment of coee.
1. Introduction
The worldsfth-largest producer of coee is Ethiopia. Cof-
fee is the primary source of income for countries that grow
coee, which includes more than 80 nations, including Ethi-
opia [1]. Coee is the second most traded good after oil [2].
Harar, Southern, Southwestern, and Northwestern are
the four main regions of Ethiopia where coee is grown,
and in each of these regions, dierent environmental factors
and coee cultivation techniques are used. In Ethiopia, cof-
fee is grown in four dierent ways: in the forest, semiforest,
gardens, and plantations [3]. Ethiopia has expanded its
coee-growing areas in recent years, but no interventions
have been made to increase yield or quality [4]. However,
the climate signicantly impacts the characteristics of the
coee plant and product [5, 6].
Coea arabica L. is a perennial plant species from the
Coea genus that belongs to Rubiaceae family. It typically
grows in tropical and subtropical regions [7, 8] and is the
most widely grown coee variety in Ethiopia. This variety
has high levels of heterogeneity [9], which allows the nation
to produce and market coees with distinctive qualities. The
genetic component and cultivation and processing practices
signicantly impact the physical characteristics and cup
quality of coee [10]. Recent research has shown that the
yield, quality, and chemical makeup of Ethiopian coees
are also inuenced by the cultivation region [11], environ-
mental factors [12], harvest time [13], and postharvest pro-
cessing techniques [14, 15].
The study is aimed at comparing the sensory qualities
and caeine, antioxidant, and polyphenol content of coee
on the basis of varieties and growing regions in Ethiopia.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Chemicals. For the HPLC analysis, a caeine (>99%,
Merck, Germany) standard was used for the calibration
curve, and a mixture of acetonitrile (Merck, Germany),
phosphoric acid (LiChrosolv, Merck, Germany), and high-
purity water was used as eluent. For the determination of
Hindawi
Journal of Food Processing and Preservation
Volume 2023, Article ID 8831024, 5 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8831024
total antioxidant content with the FRAP assay, sodium ace-
tate (Merck, Germany), 2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ)
(Sigma-Aldrich, USA), anhydrous iron chloride (Merck,
Germany), ascorbic acid (Sigma-Aldrich, USA), acetic acid
(Reanal, Hungary), and 37% hydrochloric acid (Reanal,
Hungary) were used. Anhydrous sodium carbonate (Rie-
del-de Haën, Germany), gallic acid (Sigma-Aldrich, USA),
and Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (Fischer Chemical, USA) were
used for the determination of total polyphenol content with
the Folin-Ciocalteu method.
2.2. Coee Samples. The coee samples were obtained by
ordering them from an online store which provides the con-
sumer with all the cultivation and processing characteristics
of the sold coees. In the study examined only Arabica cof-
fee varieties that are grown in Ethiopia. All investigations
were performed in three replicates. The green coee beans
were roasted for 5 to 15 minutes at 200
°
C. The characteristic
features and growing regions of the coee under investiga-
tion are listed in Table 1.
2.2.1. Examination of the Sensorial Properties of Coee
Varieties. Sensorial testers were average consumers with
average sensory sensitivity. Testers used a questionnaire to
assess the samples. The study involved 21, with 16 women
and 5 men participating. The respondents were 37 years
old on average. 20 g of roasted and ground coee samples
was combined with 500 mL of water to create the coee
drinks using an espresso coee maker [16]. The Food Indus-
try Manuals Part 7 served as the basis for creating the
assessment sheet [17].
2.2.2. Sample Preparation for HPLC Analysis. Based on the
methodology of Nhan and Phu [18], caeine extraction
and HPLC determination were carried out, with some
adjustments made by Shrestha et al. [19]. The coee beans
were nely ground using a coee grinder (Bosch), and 0.3 g
of the sample was weighed into 250 mL Erlenmeyer asks
with an analytical balance (TE 214S, Sartorius). The samples
were added to 200 mL of ultrapure water (Zener Power I
Scholar-UV, Human Corporation) and then submerged for
30 minutes in a 100
°
C water bath. After the sample solutions
had cooled, they were centrifuged (Z206A, Hermle) at
6000 RPM for 20 minutes. 1 mL of the supernatant was then
pipetted into volumetric asks marked at 10 mL, and the
remaining used eluent was added to the mark. About 1 mL
of the diluted solutions was ltered through a 0.22 μm
hydrophilic syringe lter and placed into 1.8 mL HPLC vials.
2.2.3. Sample Preparation for Spectrophotometric Analysis.
The active compounds were extracted from the matrix using
solvent extraction to calculate the levels of polyphenols and
antioxidants in coee samples [20]. 3.5 g of the ground cof-
fee beans was weighed and put into 100 mL Erlenmeyer
asks on an analytical balance. The samples were centri-
fuged (Z206A, Hermle) at 6000 RPM for 20 minutes after
being centrifuged for 5 minutes in 60 mL of high-purity
water. In order to calculate the antioxidant content, 1 mL
of the supernatant was pipetted into 10 mL volumetric asks
and completely lled with high-purity water. The samples
did not require dilution after centrifugation to determine
the total polyphenol content.
2.3. Determination of Caeine Content with HPLC-UV
Equipment. Reverse-phase liquid chromatography was used
to determine the amount of caeine in the coees. The sta-
tionary phase was a LiChrospher 100 C-18 column (5 μm),
which had the following specications: a length of 250 mm,
an inner diameter of 4 mm, and a temperature of 40
°
C.
Acetonitrile-0.05% phosphoric acid solution (10 : 90 V/V%)
was the mobile phase, owing at a rate of 1 mL/min. The
amount of the injected sample was 5 μL, and the detection
was done using a UV detector at a wavelength of 275 nm.
As a standard, caeine solutions (0.230 g/mL) were used.
2.4. Determination of Total Antioxidant and
Polyphenol Content
2.4.1. FRAP Assay. The process used for the FRAP assay is
based on the approach outlined by Benzie and Strain [21].
100 mL of water, 3 mL of FRAP solution, and 50 μLofthe
extracted coee sample were pipetted into a test tube. After
being left in the dark for 5 minutes, the nished solutions
were compared to a blank solution made up only of water
and FRAP solution using a Spectroquant Pharo 100 spectro-
photometer (Merck, Germany). The results were expressed
as ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g dry matter using ascor-
bic acid as standard (40-500 mg/L).
2.4.2. Folin-Ciocalteu Assay. Total polyphenol content was
determined using a modied version of the Folin-Ciocalteu
method as described by Singleton et al. [22, 23]. 1.5 mL of
ultrapure water was pipetted into test tubes with 50 μLof
coee extract before adding the reagents. 2 mL of a 7.5%
Na
2
CO
3
solution should be added after 2.5 mL of 10%
Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The mixture-containing tubes were
left in a dark location for 90 minutes, after which the absor-
bance at 725 nm was compared to the blank, which con-
tained the reagents and water. The used standard solutions
were made with gallic acid (251000 mg/L).
2.5. Data Analysis. By using the equation of the second-
order least squares analytical curve tted to the measure-
ment solutions by the nonlinear least squares method, the
absorbance values measured for samples were converted into
the caeine, total antioxidant, and polyphenol contents. This
information was then entered into Microsoft Oce Excel to
be calculated. In order to compare the signicant dierence
in the data (p<005), analyses of variance (ANOVA) were
used. All results are expressed as means n=3 ± standard
deviation.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Sensorial Test Results. The results of the sensorial test are
shown in Figure 1. Due to its dark color, heirloom coee had
the lowest popularity and catuai coee had the highest. Cus-
tomers favor chocolate brown, medium-roasted coees over
black, heavily roasted samples.
2 Journal of Food Processing and Preservation
The coee samples from catuai and heirloom were rated
as having the best aromas and a mildly fruity avor. Forest
coee, which some respondents said smelled like tobacco,
was the least preferred coee scent.
Catuai coee was the most popular coee in terms of
acidity, while heirloom 2 was less well liked due to its low
acid content and forest coee was less well liked due to its
high acidity.
In terms of bitterness, reviewers rated mixed heirloom
and catuai coees as the best. In this regard, heirloom 2
and forest coee performed less well. There are similarities
in how coees acidity and bitterness are rated.
The most well-liked avors were fruity-tasting catuai
and heirloom coee. The least preferred coee avor was
forest coee, which many tasters claimed had a tobacco a-
vor, possibly explaining its oral undertones.
The catuai coee was the most well liked overall. The
sensorially evaluated coees that received the least favor-
able ratings from the participants were forest coee and
heirloom 2.
3.2. Caeine, Antioxidant, and Polyphenol Content of
Ethiopian Coee Samples. The ndings from the analysis of
samples of Ethiopian coeescaeine, antioxidant, and poly-
phenol content are displayed in Table 2.
According to the ndings, the heirloom coee variety
stands out because its caeine content is signicantly
(p0 05) lower than that of the other coee varieties at
0.14 mg/g. This might be a result of the coee being chosen
to come from a particularly low altitude (1500 m), where it
is likely that it did not need to be protected from insects in
the growing area, unlike the other coee plants. Because cof-
fee beans contain more caeine before roasting, the low caf-
feine content is also a result of the very dark roasting. The
amounts of caeine in the coee varieties forest coee, bour-
bon, mixed heirloom, and catuai were all 0.36 mg/g, while
those in heirloom 2 were 0.37 mg/g. The investigated caf-
feine level values for the various species are consistent with
Miłek et al. [24] published data.
The FRAP technique was successful in detecting the total
antioxidant content. With the exception of bourbon-type
coee, which had a value of 64.75 mg AAE/g, the antioxidant
content of the coee samples decreased with altitude. The
bourbon (64.75 mg AAE/g) and catuai (63.75 mg AAE/g)
coee varieties from the Sidamo and heirloom (78.05 mg
AAE/g) and forest coee (71.84 mg AAE/g) from the Kaa
region showed the dierence in TAC value, which can be
attributed to their region of cultivation. According to the
article by Tasew et al. [25], the degree of roasting is another
factor that inuences the total antioxidant content in
Table 1: Cultivation and physicochemical parameters of the examined coee varieties (n=3).
Coee varieties Region Altitude (m) Taste Processing Acidity Roasting
Heirloom Kaa 1500 Fruity, winey Wet High Very dark
Forest coee Kaa 1500 Floral, grapey Wet High Medium
Heirloom 2 Oromia 1800 Floral, fruity Wet Low Dark
Bourbon Sidamo 1500-2200 Chocolate Wet Medium Medium
Mixed heirloom Yirgachee 2200 Floral Wet Medium Dark
Catuai Sidamo 2150-2500 Blueberry, pineapple, plum Wet Medium Medium
5.00
6.04
4.71
5.09
4.80
4.90
5.19
4.95
3.57
3.80
3.14
3.85
6.00
5.23
3.38
3.52
3.38
4.04
6.57
5.80
4.19
4.19
4.66
4.85
6.90
5.66
4.76
5.42
4.71
4.90
8.00
6.14
5.42
5.38
4.85
5.38
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Color Fragrance Acidity Bitterness Taste Total
impression
Heirloom
Forest coee
Heirloom 2
Bourbon
Mixed heirloom
Catuai
Figure 1: Results of the sensorial examination of coee samples.
3Journal of Food Processing and Preservation
addition to the region of origin. The presented results, with
the exception of the catuai variety, also support the literary
data of Daniel and Workneh [26] that the antioxidant con-
tent of Ethiopian coees ranges from 64 to 97 mg AAE/g,
depending on the region.
Plants needed to produce a lot of polyphenols to protect
themselves from strong UV radiation in the desert, so next
to the lowest acidity the Heirloom 2 coee variety had the
highest polyphenol content (31.04 mg GAE/g), this may be
explained with the origin- Oromo region. The lowest poly-
phenol content (27.08 mg GAE/g) was found in the heirloom
coee variety, which may be attributed to the very dark
roasting that reduced the amount of phenolic compounds.
The results are further supported by the study of Dybkowska
et al. [27], which found that the amount of total polyphenols
diered between the light and dark roasts of the same Ethi-
opian coee sample by up to 14 mg GAE/g.
4. Conclusion
The panelists preferred coee drinks with a medium level of
acidity, softer fruit avors, and lighter chocolate brown cof-
fee, which is inuenced by the degree of roasting. The eval-
uation of the bitter tastes results showed a strong
correlation with acidity. Coee drinks with oral notes did
not fare well in the taste test; they were compared to the
smell of tobacco.
Five grams of caeine is the lethal dose. The ndings
show that the examined coee varieties do not contain
enough caeine to harm the body when consumed in the
amount of 3-4 cups per day. The caeine levels in the tested
coee varieties were typical of the region where they were
grown.
The samples contained a signicant amount of antioxi-
dants and polyphenols, which can be used to refute the myth
that coee is unhealthy. The degree of roasting determines
the concentration of these compounds. With altitude, anti-
oxidant content exhibited a trend toward decreasing. The
results also reveal signicant dierences, which might be
brought on by variations, growing regions, and altitude.
Data Availability
The data used to support the ndings of this study are
included within the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors have declared no conict of interest.
Acknowledgments
This study is funded by the Széchenyi István University.
Open access funding is enabled and organized by the Elec-
tronic Information Service National Programme.
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5Journal of Food Processing and Preservation
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Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the caffeine level and antioxidant activity of brews of specialty grade coffee compared to popular coffee brands. Methods: Ten types of coffee were used, including 7 specialty Arabica, 1 Robusta and 2 popular cheap coffee brands. For caffeine determination, HPLC analysis and the spectrophotometric method were used as reference. The total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP methods) were evaluated. For two selected high-quality coffees, the influence of the brewing method on the antioxidant activity and caffeine content in the brews was assayed. Results: Regarding the caffeine content, differences between specialty coffee brews and popular products were not found, and an average level amounted to 56 and 40 mg/ml, respectively. In contrast, the antioxidant capacity of specialty coffee brews was significantly higher than for popular ones, independently of the test used. The highest scavenging ability and total phenolic content was found for S3 specialty coffee (46.15% of DPPH inhibition and 58.7 mg GAE/ml, respectively), whereas the lowest was found for popular coffee (about 35% of DPPH inhibition and about 41 mg/GAE/ml). For two selected high-quality coffees, the influence of the brewing method on the antioxidant activity and caffeine content in the brews was tested. It was found that the use of a dripper (overflow brewing method) provides the brew with the best antioxidant properties but with moderate caffeine levels. Conclusions: It was found that 'specialty' quality coffees do not differ from popular brands in terms of caffeine content, but significantly outweigh them in terms of antioxidant activity. This property can be beneficial in the case of a high consumption of coffee, due to antiradical protective effects without the risk of caffeine overdose.
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Ethiopia is the center of origin and genetic diversity of arabica coffee. Forty-two commercial arabica coffee varieties were developed by Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and released for production under diverse agro-ecologies of the country. Information on the level of genetic diversity among these varieties is scarce. Out of the 42 varieties, the genetic diversity of 40 widely cultivated commercial varieties was assessed using 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. These markers revealed polymorphism among the varieties. High average number of polymorphic alleles (7.5) and polymorphic information content (PIC = 80%) per locus were detected among the varieties. The genetic similarity among varieties using the Jaccard's similarity coefficient ranged from 0.14 to 0.78, with a mean of 0.38. The range of genetic similarity coefficient values in 92% of the possible pair-wise combinations varied from 0.14 to 0.50, indicating the presence of distant genetic relatedness among the varieties. Unweighted pair group method using arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering showed six major clusters and three singletons. Coffee varieties, belonging to the same geographic origin, were distributed across clusters. This study represents the first evidence of the presence of a high level of genetic diversity in Ethiopian commercial ara-bica coffee varieties. Divergent varieties with complementing traits could be crossed to develop productive hybrid coffee varieties.
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Hitherto, studies on shade and postharvest processing (PHP) effects on coffee quality across elevation ranges (ER) are limited. The effects of shade, PHP and their interaction on quality and caffeine, sucrose and chlorogenic acids (CGAs) contents of arabica coffee beans in lowland and midland were evaluated. The results showed that physical, total preliminary and total specialty qualities were higher for beans grown in midland than those grown in lowland, but CGAs (57.5 g kg⁻¹ dw) were higher for beans grown in lowland. Dry-processed midland coffee had higher physical and total preliminary qualities with lower 3,5diCQA (6.9 g kg⁻¹ dw) and FQA (4.4 g kg⁻¹ dw) than wet-processed lowland and midland coffees. Conversely, wet-processed lowland coffee had lower physical and total preliminary qualities with higher 3,5diCQA (8.7 g kg⁻¹ dw) and FQA (4.7 g kg⁻¹ dw) than dry-processed lowland and midland coffees. Coffee beans grown with shade in lowland had lower acidity than those grown without shade in lowland and midland. But, coffee beans grown without shade in lowland had lower caffeine (13.8 kg⁻¹ dw) than those grown with shade in lowland and midland. Physical and total preliminary qualities were negatively correlated with caffeine, 4-CQA, 3,5diCQA, FQA and total CGAs. This study is the first to show the relationship between ER and PHP in coffee quality and biochemical composition of green arabica coffee beans.
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Background. The aim of the study was to evaluate the caffeine level and antioxidant activity of brews of specialty grade coffee compared to popular coffee brands. Materials and methods. Ten types of coffee were used, including 7 specialty Arabica, 1 Robusta and 2 popular cheap coffee brands. For caffeine determination, HPLC analysis and the spectrophotometric method were used as reference. The total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP methods) were evaluated. For two selected high-quality coffees, the influence of the brewing method on the antioxidant activity and caffeine content in the brews was assayed. Results. Regarding the caffeine content, differences between specialty coffee brews and popular products were not found, and an average level amounted to 56 and 40 mg/ml, respectively. In contrast, the antioxidant capacity of specialty coffee brews was significantly higher than for popular ones, independently of the test used. The highest scavenging ability and total phenolic content was found for S3 specialty coffee (46.15% of DPPH inhibition and 58.7 mg GAE/ml, respectively), whereas the lowest was found for popular coffee (about 35% of DPPH inhibition and about 41 mg/GAE/ml). For two selected high-quality coffees, the influence of the brewing method on the antioxidant activity and caffeine content in the brews was tested. It was found that the use of a dripper (overflow brewing method) provides the brew with the best antioxidant properties but with moderate caffeine levels. Conclusion. It was found that ‘specialty’ quality coffees do not differ from popular brands in terms of caffeine content, but significantly outweigh them in terms of antioxidant activity. This property can be beneficial in the case of a high consumption of coffee, due to antiradical protective effects without the risk of caffeine overdose.