First order derivative spectra to determine caffeine and chlorogenic acids in defective and nondefective coffee beans
Daniel Habtamu, Abebe Belay
Abstract
In this research, the application of the first order derivative spectra was employed to determine the levels of caffeine (CAF) and chlorogenic acids (CGA) in defective (immature, black, and sour) and nondefective coffee beans without using extraction or background correction techniques. The extreme points of first order derivate spectra of these compounds were at the wavelength of 260 and 292 nm enable to quantify the contents of CAF and CGA, respectively. The level of CAF and CGA in coffee beans determined by this method is ranged from 1.2 ± 0.12-1.46 ± 0.47% and 4.04 ± 0.44-4.43 ± 0.43%, respectively. The study results also indicated total contents of CAF and CGA levels discriminate the defective and nondefective coffee beans with higher CAF and CGA contents being observed in defective coffee beans. As the method is extremely rapid, easy, and inexpensive and also requires minimal sample preparation for the quantification of CAF and CGA contents in coffee, it could be a valuable quality control technique.