How used coffee grounds could make some food more healthful

Date: May 13, 2015

Source: American Chemical Society

Summary:

Coffee has gone from dietary foe to friend in recent years, partly due to the revelation that it's rich in antioxidants. Now even spent coffee grounds are gaining attention for being chock-full of these compounds, which have potential health benefits. Researchers now explain how to extract antioxidants from the grounds. They then determined just how concentrated the antioxidants are.

Spent coffee grounds contain high levels of phenols which could potentially be extracted and used to increase nutritional value of other foods.

Credit: © manulito / Fotolia

Coffee has gone from dietary foe to friend in recent years, partly due to the revelation that it's rich in antioxidants. Now even spent coffee-grounds are gaining attention for being chock-full of these compounds, which have potential health benefits. In ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers explain how to extract antioxidants from the grounds. They then determined just how concentrated the antioxidants are.

María-Paz de Peña and colleagues note that coffee -- one of the most popular drinks in the world -- is a rich source of a group of antioxidants called dietary phenolic compounds. Spent grounds, however, often end up in the trash. But recently, scientists have discovered that antioxidants aren't just in the brewed coffee; they're also in the used grounds. De Peña wanted to figure out the total phenolic content in extracts from these leftovers.

The researchers used three different methods to release antioxidants from spent grounds and found high levels of phenols in the extracts -- sometimes at higher levels than in brewed coffee. Thus, they have the potential to serve as additives to enhance the potential health effects of other food products, the scientists conclude.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

Carmen Monente, Iziar A. Ludwig, Angel Irigoyen, María-Paz De Peña, Concepción Cid. Assessment of Total (Free and Bound) Phenolic Compounds in Spent Coffee Extracts. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2015; 63 (17): 4327 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01619

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "How used coffee grounds could make some food more healthful." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513112035.htm>.