Coffee berries were discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi in 850 A.D. and now coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. World coffee production grew by over 100% from 1950 to 1990 and is projected to grow by 0.5%�1.9% by 2012. Epidemiological and experimental studies have shown the positive effect of coffee-drinking on various aspects of health, which may be due to the presence of antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage associated with many diseases including cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, diabetes, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's and AIDS. Among coffee constituents, high-molecular-weight substances, such as melanoidins, were first to be found to possess antioxidant activities. Later, low-molecular-weight volatile compounds, particularly heterocyclic flavor compounds, found in coffee were shown to exhibit potent antioxidant activities. Of the more than 1,200 volatile aroma chemicals found in brewed coffee, over 300 are heterocyclic compounds, specifically  are pyrroles, oxazoles, furans, thiazoles, thiophenes, imidazoles, and pyrazines, and they contribute significantly to the characteristic flavor of coffee. There have been numerous reports on diseases associated with coffee consumption, such as acid reflux. Coffee drinking, however, does not always have exclusively non-beneficial results.

Coffee chemistry: Aroma constituents and their chemical and biological natures

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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