I read the news over coffee every morning before I start prioritizing my work for the day. I came across this article and resolved to learn more about it this weekend.
“A coffee that is highly roasted could lose some of the benefits for blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, because of the chlorogenic acid lost during the roasting process.”
“Green coffee beans are fashionable among the health-conscious”
It looks like some companies are including unroasted beans in their blends, which increase the amount of chlorogenic acid in their coffee, around 30-50mg for regular roasted coffee compared to 120 mg or so for the coffee that mixed in some unroasted beans.
“The study said 400mg of chlorogenic acid may cut blood pressure in healthy people.”
Read more about it here at the DailyMail Online: “Roasting coffee beans cuts the health benefits - and could even affect your risk of heart attack and stroke”
Looking for more information found me reading this article:
“When coffee beans are introduced to the heat of the roaster, amino acids and sugars combine and begin a profusion of reactions that ultimately create the smell, taste, and color of the coffee. This is called the Maillard Reaction and is found in almost all cooking.”
“The coffee bean itself is primarily composed of pollysaccarides, or sugars, but also contains proteins, lipids, and minerals. The seed’s job is to provide nutrition to the coffee embryo, so that it may one day germinate. These sugars, proteins, lipids, and minerals are the building blocks for the roasting process.”
“Some compounds formed during roasting do more than just create aroma. Several types of antioxidants and vitamins are created through the roasting process, including vitamins B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), and B5 (Pantothenic acid). B vitamins, while all unique, aid in cell metabolism. Antioxidants formed during roasting include caffeic acid and Melanoidins.”
“Caffeic acid is created when chlorogenic acids (CGAs) inside the green bean break down under the heat of the roaster.”
“Melanoidins are primarily responsible for the “brown” color of roasted coffee, but have also been recently discovered to hold powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.”
So it sounds like we definitely want some of the benefits of roasting coffee. I roast my own coffee already. Perhaps when I grind it, I should mix in some green beans as well, to increase the benefits of both worlds. I’ll give that a shot and see how it affects the flavor.
Wendy has sold me on the health benefits of Bullet Coffee. Perhaps I should modify that recipe a little and see how it goes.
“Once a coffee is roasted, is it immediately under attack by its environment. Heat, moisture, and other aroma can change the flavor of the coffee, but one of the greatest factors in coffee staling is oxygen.”
Everyone who roasts their own coffee knows about oxidation, but this means there are even more reasons it is important.
There’s lots more information in the article, feel free to read it here, at Handground.com, “Coffee Chemistry Made Simple: A Look At What Happens Inside The Bean”
That article also cited this excellent supplemental at CoffeeChemistry.COM, called “The Chemistry of Organic Acids: Part 1”