Elemental Analysis of Coffee with Ion Beam Analytical Techniques

In this review, we present a compilation of results from studies of coffee carried out with accelerator-based analytical techniques employing swift ions. The fundamentals of these techniques are presented in detail. Moreover, different aspects of coffee are discussed, including the analysis of ground and roasted coffee beans, the effects of the drip brewing process on the final beverage, the importance of the water temperature for the extraction of elements during coffee preparation and how chemical markers can help discriminate coffee for forensic purposes. According to the experimental results, a matrix of different coffee types is represented by large amounts of carbon followed by mild amounts of oxygen. Moreover, elemental maps of roasted coffee beans show how the elements are distributed over the scanned area, thus providing valuable information on the co-localization of different elements within the beans. Concerning the drip brewing process, the results suggest that chlorine, potassium and phosphorus are quite soluble in hot water and therefore make their way into the drinking coffee. Moreover, the extraction of elements during the drip brewing process is dependent on the water temperature. The results obtained with ion-based techniques are discussed in perspective with those obtained by other analytical methods, including inductively coupled plasma technique in its various configurations. Advantages and drawbacks of these techniques are discussed. In this way, the present review opens up new possibilities for the analysis of coffee that go beyond traditional analytical techniques.