Influence of Roasting Conditions on the Antioxidant Characteristics of Colombian Coffee (<i>Coffea arabica</i> L.) Beans

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of the degree of roasting on the antioxidant properties of brewed coffee. Light-roasted coffee beans showed the highest antioxidant activity, and an approximately 40–80% loss of antioxidant activity was observed after further roasting. In addition, light-roasted beans had significantly higher antioxidant activity as compared to unroasted beans, suggesting the formation of Maillard reaction products and the release of bound polyphenols from plant cells. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that chlorogenic acid was the predominant compound in coffee brews, and that it was degraded with increasing roasting time. Our study demonstrated that light-roasted coffee beans have the most desirable qualities with respect to antioxidative values. Practical Applications Based on our experiments, the light roasting of coffee beans produces antioxidant activity, but further roasting to medium, dark and very dark degrees decreases the antioxidant properties of coffee beans. Therefore, we concluded that light-roasted coffee has better nutritional properties. This study examined the differences in the antioxidant properties of coffee beans roasted for different times.