Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. In 2014
approximately 141 million tons of coffee bags were produced. In terms of international
trade only crude oil has a bigger share. The world coffee trade is increasing every year
showing the importance of coffee to the world economy. The composition of the two
main coffee species (Arabica and Robusta) varies according to the origin, storage and
terroir conditions. During the roasting process there are a number of reactions that give
rise to the organoleptic properties of coffee. The main bioactive compounds in coffee
are chlorogenic acids, caffeine, trigonelline, melanoidins and diterpenes. These
compounds are known to have a number of beneficial health effects. Many
epidemiological studies suggest that coffee consumption can lead to health benefits in
several diseases such as type 2 diabetes, several types of cancers, Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s disease. These benefits are related with coffee antioxidant, antiinflammatory,
anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties. Chlorogenic acids are
known to have chemopreventive and anticarcinogenic activities and also to act as
antithrombotic agents. Caffeine is the most recognized bioactive constituent of coffee
and can have a number of positive effects in health, most of them associated with the
antagonism of the A1 and A2 subtypes of the adenosine receptor. Its stimulatory effect
is due to the synergetic interaction with adrenalin and noradrenaline. Trigonelline is
connected to neuroprotective, estrogenic, hypoglycemic, anti-invasive, and
antibacterial responses.
The biological activities commonly associated with melanoidins are antioxidant and
metal chelating, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic. These compounds also have the
ability to modulate colonic microflora. Research has showed that the diterpenes,
cafestol and kahweol have a chemopreventive potential by enhancing defense systems
against oxidative stress. It is clear from the epidemiological studies that coffee has
indeed health benefits. Nevertheless some caution has to be taken into account since
there are a number of issues regarding these studies, as many of them were not
designed specifically for coffee. Furthermore, health problems history and individual
lifestyle can introduce misleading factors.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Antioxidant, Bioactive compounds, Caffeine,
Cancer, Chlorogenic acids, Coffee, Diterpenes, Health benefits, Melanoidins,
Parkinson’s diseasee, Trigonelline, Type 2 diabetes.
