Influence of different coffee drink preparations on ochratoxin A content and evaluation of the antioxidant activity and caffeine variations

• Published in: Food control 2011-08, Vol.22 (8), p.1240-1245
• Main Authors: Santini, Antonello, Ferracane, Rosalia, Mikušová, Petra, Eged, Štefan, Šrobárová, Antonia, Meca, Giuseppe, Mañes, Jordi, Ritieni, Alberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidant; Caffeine; Coffee drink; LC-FLD; Ochratoxin A; Spectrophotometry
• ISSN: 0956-7135; 1873-7129
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2011.01.024

Coffee is one of the most frequently consumed beverages in North America and Europe. It is well known that coffee contains caffeine and that coffee beans can be contaminated by Ochratoxin A (OTA). The operating conditions however affect OTA and caffeine extraction from the roasted coffee. OTA content found in the beverages can be greater than that found in the roasted coffee used to prepare it, representing a potential OTA related risk factor for the human health. Moreover the coffee beans and coffee based beverages have an anti oxidant activity. This study investigates the OTA content, the amount of caffeine, and the antioxidant activity in five different preparations: American coffee, Moka, Italian Espresso, Neapolitan and Turkish coffee. Artificially OTA spiked samples were prepared using artificially contaminated roasted coffee beans. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography with fluorimetric detector was used (LC-FLD). The OTA amount, in all preparations, was 85% lower then the spiking level. Quantitative analysis of the caffeine content in the five coffee preparations was determined by spectrophotometry, and the antioxidant lipophilic and hydrophilic activities of the different coffee preparations were investigated and compared. The caffeine content was directly related to its antioxidant activity; no relation was found between OTA, antioxidant activity and caffeine.