Low-field 1H NMR spectroscopy for distinguishing between arabica and robusta ground roast coffees

Defernez M., Wren E., Watson A. D., Gunning Y., Colquhoun I. J., Le Gall G., Williamson D., Kemsley E. K.. (2016)

Food Chemistry, 216, 106-113

This work reports a candidate screening protocol for addressing issues of authenticity in ground roast coffees using low-field (60 MHz) bench-top 1H NMR spectroscopy. Using a simple chloroform-based extraction, useful spectra were obtained from the lipophilic fraction of roasted coffees, extracted from whole beans and from commercially ground samples. It was found that 16-O-methylcafestol (16-OMC, a recognized marker compound for robusta beans) gives rise to a peak in the 60 MHz spectrum that is isolated from other resonances, and can thus be used as an indicator of the presence of robusta beans in the sample.

Food Chemistry, 216, 106-113

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