Three centuries on the science of coffee authenticity control

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Coffee adulteration has occurred since its popularization in the 18th century.
• Methods for detecting food fraud have evolved with technology and increasing demands.
• Authenticity control focuses on distinguishing coffee from other foods or its by-products.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the historical evolution of scientific methods for coffee authenticity control.
• To analyze the development of techniques used to detect coffee adulteration over three centuries.
• To identify challenges and future prospects in ensuring coffee genuineness.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical and modern analytical techniques including microscopy, chromatography, spectroscopy, and DNA-based methods.
• Analysis of statistical tools associated with analytical methods.
• Examination of common adulterants like chicory, corn, barley, and coffee by-products.

Main Results:

• Early methods relied on chemical and physical analyses.
• 20th and 21st-century methods incorporate advanced techniques like DNA analysis.
• Challenges include matrix effects (roast degree, particle size) and lack of validated reference samples.
• DNA methods offer high specificity and low detection limits but are affected by roast intensity.

Conclusions:

• DNA-based methods are promising for coffee authenticity but require further validation and optimization for roasted samples.
• Microscopy is widely used but not always sufficiently efficient.
• Robust validation and testing on commercial samples are needed for most methods.