Assessment of Antioxidant Activity and the Tissue Influence of Phenolic Compounds from Coffee Extracts on Health

Editorial

This editorial is a continuation of the characterization of the importance of phenolic compounds naturally present in foods and their participation in the antioxidant activity of foods presented in the publication [1, 2]. This editorial will highlight the presence of phenolic compounds in coffee extracts.

Coffee extracts are the most consumed beverage in the world. It is obtained in different ways after fermenting and roasting the grains. The extracts are obtained mainly from beans of two coffee species: Coffea arabica L. and Coffea cannephora L [3].

Brazil is considered one of the main coffee producers in the world according to the Council of Exporters of Brazil. Exports in 2022 reached the mark of 2.2 million tons to 145 countries, notably the United States, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Japan [3].

The evaluation of antioxidant activity in coffee extracts has been carried out using different methodologies, mainly due to the characteristic of the relationship with the inhibition of oxidative and inflammatory processes in the body [4]. The experience of the Lipids laboratory of the Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of São Paulo - Brazil, with coffee and spices resulted in a doctoral thesis on coffee defended by Araujo [5], associated with the work made with spices and seaweed [6].

In the work carried out by Araujo, the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds from coffee extracts (Coffea arábica L.) was evaluated using different methodologies: DPPH; ORAC; FRAP and the association of beta carotene with linoleic acid. The coffee extracts were obtained from “in natura” beans and roasted at different temperatures (140ºC; 160ºC; and 180ºC). Antioxidant activity can be identified in samples that are equal to or greater than the synthetic antioxidant Butyl Hydroxy Toluene (BHT), at the same concentrations [5].

In the phenolic acid profile evaluated by gas chromatography (GC), the following phenolic acids were characterized: salicylic, ferulic, caffeic, synaptic, chlorogenic, quinic, p-coumaric, gentisic and protocatechin. Which are very similar to the phenolic compounds we have evaluated different spices [1]. In the same way, the antioxidant potential “in vivo” can be evaluated using Wistar rats, supplemented daily by gavage for 30 days with different concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4mg of coffee extract roasted at 180ºC/10min, per gram of animal body weight.

The results showed that coffee extract at a concentration of 4mg per day was very efficient in preventing tissue oxidation: plasma; hepatic; cerebral and cardiac, evaluating the formation of substances reactive to thiobarbituric acid (TBARS). The results obtained are in accordance with the observations of Nieber [7] who highlighted the importance of coffee extracts in health, together with other studies that relate coffee extracts to the prevention of positive changes in the body’s metabolism [8, 9].

The phenolic compounds present in foods are adequately absorbed and metabolized, with the microbiota playing an important role in their absorption. The sum of phenolic compounds from coffee extracts with other phenolic compounds from foods such spices, cereals, fruits and vegetables stands out in the consumption of these phytochemicals in the participation of metabolic processes. Epidemiological evidence indicates that the constant consumption of phenolic compounds through food is related to the protection of the body against non-transmissible diseases such as circulatory and degenerative diseases such as cancer and diabetes [10, 11]. These reactive species of oxigen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds that can be formed by the body’s normal metabolism and can also induced by environmental factors such as sunlight, pollution, cigarette smoking, ionizing radiation, alcohol, among others, and also intrinsic factors such as bacterial, viral and parasitic infections. The organism is able to react against the oxidative process by inhibiting the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), through different enzymes such as: superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GTX), catalase (CAT) and different vitamins such as C, D, E, carotenoids and phenolic compounds [12].

Conclusion

The various studies carried out with coffee extracts, spices and foods that contain phenolic compounds in their composition, demonstrating that these can increase the body’s resistance in combating non-transmissible infectious diseases, indicate the importance of their presence in diets.

The scientific knowledge acquired with our studies on coffee extracts and spices “In vitro” and “in vivo” demonstrates that the presence of phytochemicals in their compositions is closely related to the protection of the organism and their consumption should be encouraged together with fruits and vegetables.

Conflict of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Funding

None.

Ethical Approval

Not Required.