Nowadays, traceability is the main issue in many businesses, particularly for coffee. The advantages of keeping it at a high degree are that it provides a guarantee for consumers, provides increased power in the value chain, helps quality monitoring, and, last but not least, can be used a marketing tool. In the coffee business, it means verifying the history and the area of origin of green coffee beans (now moving to geolocation) and being able to identify them throughout all the logistic supply chain up to the last customer; to help this, we conceived an innovative service model of traceability and integration through a technique that recognizes the connection between genetic characteristics of coffee varieties and chemical and sensory analysis results, shared on a dedicated platform and linked to a QR code. By linking shipping documents with the results of chemical, genetic, and sensory analysis, users can verify the compliance of all declared data with the quality of the product received. Genetic analysis is based on DNA fingerprinting, detecting the presence of short and repetitive sequences (microsatellites) and characteristics of beans’ genetic code; thanks to a rich Coffea Arabica library that was built, DNA analysis identifies different varieties of green coffee beans which are also linked to the production countries. Chemical–physical analyses consist precisely of the determination of moisture, caffeine, 5-hydroxytrypdamides, and OTA, and sensory analyses are performed through the SCA cupping protocol. Gathered using a blockchain system, all the documents are available in sample cards to guarantee the transparency to both buyer and seller, from bean to cup.

Proceedings: Fabian, M. “Highvalue.Coffee Project” and the Growing Importance of Coffee Traceability. Proceedings 2023, 89, 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14833

The coffee by-product market represents a transformative paradigm in the coffee industry, capitalizing on previously overlooked resources and generating economic value through sustainable practices. We will explore the multifaceted opportunities and economic benefits stemming from the utilization of coffee by-products, and the diverse applications and industries that contribute to its economic significance. The economic value attributed to the coffee by-product market encompasses the overall sum of transactions and economic activities associated with the utilization, processing, and commercialization of coffee by-products. This encompasses the worth derived from diverse applications and industries that harness coffee by-products to generate products, services, and various economic opportunities. Coffee by-products, once considered waste, now serve as valuable feedstock for energy production, driving cost-saving initiatives. From coffee grounds powering biofuel generation to coffee husks fueling biomass energy plants, the industry is witnessing an impactful shift towards renewable and eco-friendly energy sources, mitigating operational expenses and bolstering financial resilience. The convergence of sustainability and innovation finds expression in the food and beverage sector, where coffee cherry pulp and cascara are harnessed for the production of functional food ingredients and nutraceuticals. Leveraging the rich antioxidants and nutritional benefits of coffee by-products, this burgeoning market segment presents lucrative opportunities, while also promoting health-conscious choices for consumers. Apart from its conventional applications, the coffee by-product market has a significant impact on sustainable infrastructure development. Coffee silverskin, renowned for its remarkable insulating properties, presents an opportunity to transform building materials, leading to energy-efficient construction and decreased long-term operational expenses. Furthermore, coffee silverskin offers opportunities for market diversification, particularly in niche segments like artisanal products. Through the transformation of coffee cherry pulp into biochar, agricultural practices experience a rejuvenation, benefiting from improved soil health and enhanced nutrient retention. In conclusion, coffee by-products play a crucial role in driving the coffee industry towards a sustainable future in line with circular economy principles. Coffee by-products possess immense potential to create significant economic opportunities for coffee-producing regions, fostering growth and prosperity within these communities. They can capitalize on their abundant availability of these products and explore various avenues for utilization. The economic value of the coffee by-product market represents a dynamic amalgamation of innovation, environmental consciousness, and sound economic principles. Regulatory support and consumer demand for sustainable practices further amplify the market’s potential, creating a compelling incentive for stakeholders to embrace the transformation from waste to wealth.

Proceedings: Peluso, M. Coffee By-Products: Economic Opportunities for Sustainability and Innovation in the Coffee Industry. Proceedings 2023, 89, 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14834

In today’s dynamic landscape, products have transcended their traditional role as isolated devices. Instead, they find synergy within digital ecosystems, facilitating immersive user experiences that extend beyond mere functionality. These ecosystems provide not only the necessary hardware but also grant access to essential resources and knowledge, fostering a comprehensive user journey. Leveraging the power of technological platforms, these ecosystems successfully manage the seamless collaboration of diverse stakeholders, creating a room for innovation and value creation. This presentation employed Design Thinking methodologies to explore new territories, investigating untapped potentials for enhancing user experiences in the context of coffee roasting. Through this exploration, the feasibility of translating these enhancements into tangible software solutions was also assessed. Finally, this paper highlights the identified potential and introduces an innovative concept—a digital ecosystem designed to enhance the user experience in the craft of coffee roasting. Regarding the potential, optimization possibilities around the hardware and software of coffee roasters are presented. However, the greatest potential for innovation in coffee roasters through digitalization lies in a digital platform and, thus, the associated ecosystem. In this ecosystem, roasters can, for example, exchange knowledge and roasting profiles with each other or obtain the right green coffee for their device.

Proceedings: Müller, C. Innovation through Digitalization in Coffee Roasting. Proceedings 2023, 89, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14835

Worldwide, noncommunicable diseases accounted for 7 out of 10 deaths in 2019 (WHO), being ischemic heart disease one of the major contributors. Coffee has been implicated with several health benefits, namely the hypocholesterolemic potential, attributed to its high molecular weight compounds (e.g., polysaccharides and melanoidins) ability to affect cholesterol bioaccessibility. However, the pathways through which the nitrogen-containing brown-colored melanoidins (prevalent in many thermally processed foods) can affect cholesterol metabolism are partially unknown. In order to access coffee melanoidin’s cardioprotective potential, its colonic fermentability was simulated in vitro using human feces, employing simgi® (Dynamic Gastrointestinal Simulator). The fermentation degree was evaluated by the analysis of total carbohydrates and ammonium. The cardioprotective effect of the ferments was estimated by measuring short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and primary and secondary bile salts (BS) after 48h of fermentation. Melanoidin total sugar content decreased due to polysaccharides fermentation, used as the primary source of energy, while ammonium production increased, owing to the degradation of the melanoidin’s proteins. SCFA production increased, as well as secondary BS, due to the microbiota activity. The conversion of primary to secondary BS (more hydrophobic) was significantly lower in the presence of melanoidins than in its absence (control). This decrease promoted by melanoidins may lower BS enterohepatic circulation, which in turn can lower cholesterol bioaccessibility and bioavailability, configuring a hypocholesterolemic effect. The in vitro colonic fermentation of coffee melanoidins, using human microbiota, yielded cardioprotective metabolites (SCFA) and decreased secondary BS, suggesting that they may regulate cholesterol homeostasis.

Proceedings: Machado, F.; Gómez-Domínguez, I.; Hurtado-Ribeira, R.; Martin, D.; Coimbra, M.A.; del Castillo, M.D.; Coreta-Gomes, F. Colonic Fermentation of Coffee Melanoidins and Resulting Cardioprotective Metabolites. Proceedings 2023, 89, 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14836

The utilization of coffee leaves and flowers has been underestimated over the years. Both by-products can be obtained from coffee trees without adversely affecting the production of coffee beans. To gain fundamental knowledge of their sensorial and aroma profiles, it becomes essential to reintroduce them into the food chain. Accordingly, 24 different coffee leaf samples generated from diverse processing as well as 38 varied species of coffee flowers were analyzed for their sensory characteristics by descriptive analysis and liking tests, and their corresponding aroma profiles were decoded by means of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry. For the coffee leaves, a wide range of different flavors could be detected in the sensory evaluation. The fermented coffee leaf samples clearly showed more sweetish and fruity aroma notes compared to the intense green and vegetable aroma of the non-fermented samples. β-Ionone (honey-like), decanal (citrus-like, floral), α-ionone (floral), octanal (fruity), and hexanal (green) were identified as key volatile compounds but distributed in different ratios. In the predominant coffee flowers, hay-like, hop-like, sage-like, dried apricot-like, and honey-like impressions were identified as major aroma descriptors in addition to a basic floral note. 2-Heptanol (fruity), 2-ethylhexanol (green), nerol (floral), and geraniol (floral) were identified as representative aroma compounds. All in all, a great variety of flavors was detected from the coffee leaves and flowers, which will not only provide an insight into the potential applications for the food market (i.e., coffee leaf tea and coffee flower tea) but will also help make coffee growing more sustainable.

Proceedings: Rigling, M.; Steger, M.C.; Lachenmeier, D.W.; Schwarz, S.; Zhang, Y. Sensorial and Aroma Profiles of Coffee By-Products—Coffee Leaves and Coffee Flowers. Proceedings 2023, 89, 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14837

Coffea liberica presents the smallest proportion of cultivated coffee worldwide. Its taste varies highly from C. arabica spp. or C. canephora spp. As the unfermented taste of C. liberica is often described as lactic, and animalic with aromatics of blue cheese, fermentation experiments of C. liberica coffee cherries were conducted. Coffee cherry fermentation is carried out to modify and enhance the sensory profile of green and roasted coffee beans. Various microorganisms change the composition of organic precursor compounds, reducing off-flavours during green bean coffee processing and roasting. For the comparison of the sensory properties of fermented coffee beans, SCA-trained experts grade the coffees by specific sensory attributes. Roasted and ground coffee powder, as well as ground raw coffee samples, were analysed by headspace-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry/ion mobility spectrometry (GC-MS/IMS) to determine the volatile fingerprint of unfermented and fermented C. liberica coffee. Eight different unfermented C. liberica samples were analysed and the volatile profiles compared to those of arabica spp. and canephora spp. The unfermented coffee beans differ in origin and processing. Furthermore, single-origin C. liberica fermented with two different wine yeasts was compared to unfermented C. liberica. The fermented coffee beans share the same variety, processing, and profile of roasting and differ only in their origin and fermentation inoculum. This study presents the direct comparison of the aromatic fingerprint measured in the instrument. Compound regions in the spectra associated with different coffee species and ferments are shown. The potential of GC-IMS for fast comparison of the aromatic fingerprint is demonstrated.

Proceedings: Kiefer, C.; Schwarz, S.; Rohn, S.; Weller, P. The Aromatic Fingerprint of Fermented Coffea liberica . Proceedings 2023, 89, 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14838

The characterization of complex products, such as foodstuffs or raw materials via metabolomic approaches, often referred to as “foodomics”, is a modern and generally accepted strategy. As a derivative, “volatilomics”, is an elegant way of correlating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via the gas phase from the matrix with specific properties of that product, such as authenticity, quality or provenance. This is particularly relevant, as a major part of the aroma-relevant compounds, e.g., roasted coffee that belong to the VOC fraction, can be analyzed without sample contact using the headspace over the sample. A major challenge is the complexity of the enormous amount of different substances found, which often are not relevant as individual species, but rather their total “fingerprint”, resulting from all amenable substances. This high-dimensional spectral information cannot be interpreted without applying powerful machine learning algorithms or chemometrics, a strategy which is generally referred to as "omics". Omics are known as holistic, full spectral analytical strategies which make use of the total information from a complex sample, e.g., a raw or roasted coffee bean, and they can be used to describe and better understand the desired aroma profiles, similarities or differences of products, as well as potential off-flavors at trace level concentrations. These data are combined with modern machine learning techniques to extract the maximum possible information from products to improve their quality and confirm authenticity. Typically, the required techniques are laboratory-based and not useable at the so-called point-of-care, which limits their use. This paper will demonstrate the principles and examples of benchtop "volatilomics" approaches in food and fermentation processes, named as “fermentomics”, that be used directly at the location where they are needed in the future.

Proceedings: Weller, P.; Kiefer, C.; Rohn, S. Volatilomics, Foodomics and Fermentomics at Trace Levels: Role of Modern Untargeted Benchtop Analytical Strategies in Improving Coffee Research. Proceedings 2023, 89, 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14839

The global shortage of agricultural source products and the rising need for sustainability in supply chains have led to an effort to replace current sources, such as those for energy or protein, with novel foods. These include by-products from agricultural production that are currently being wasted or completely new plant or insect sources. Unfortunately, the novel food regulation of the European Union (EU) creates a hindrance to rapidly adjusting in times of crisis, and it particularly poses an unfair barrier against traditional foods from third countries. These might include some agricultural coffee by-products or the use of silverskin as a coffee roasting by-product. This presentation argues that the novel food regulation creates a significant trade barrier for applying novel foods, such as coffee by-products, to replace sources affected by current crises, like grains from Ukraine, or to improve sustainability in the industry at large. Furthermore, it is suggested that the approval requirements for traditional foods of third countries are overly strict and do not consider the practical realities of an agricultural food product. In conclusion, it is necessary to revise the EU novel food regulation to eliminate these barriers and allow a rapid and flexible introduction of novel foods. This should include traditional foods from third countries. Such a revision would assist in upholding food security and sustainability in the EU.

Proceedings: Lachenmeier, D.W.; Walch, S.G. The Novel Food Regulation: A Major Obstacle to Sustainability in the Coffee Industry. Proceedings 2023, 89, 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14840

Instant Cascara (IC) is a beverage made from dried coffee cherries, enriched in nutrients and bioactive compounds such as caffeine and other phytochemicals with a positive impact on the brain–gut axis health. The use of dried coffee cherries as novel foods in drinks was authorized by the EU in 2023. The process for obtaining IC involves the concentration of the regular drink by spray-drying. Colorectal cancer, chronic gut disease, is the third most common cancer type causing 1 million deaths/year. In high-income countries, colon and rectum cancers were one of the top ten causes of death in 2019. The present research aimed to obtain novel and preliminary information about the potential prophylactic or therapeutic effect of IC on colon cancer. In vitro cell models were used to analyze its genotoxicity and effects on key physiological cell events such as intracellular ROS production, proliferation and apoptosis associated with the pathogenesis of cancer. IC was determined non-genotoxic using the comet assay, reduced ROS production in normal and cancer colon cells and selectively affected the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cells by labeled annexin incorporation assay. In conclusion, our preliminary data supported the safety and potential use of IC as a sustainable promoter of gastrointestinal health. Therefore, the upcycling of dried coffee cherries into IC may contribute to the sustainability of the coffee industry and to achieving Global Sustainable Development Goals (3: “Good health and well-being” and 12: “Responsible consumption and production”).

Proceedings: Sánchez-Martín, V.; López-Parra, M.B.; Iriondo-DeHond, A.; Haza, A.I.; Morales, P.; del Castillo, M.D. Instant Cascara: A Potential Sustainable Promoter of Gastrointestinal Health. Proceedings 2023, 89, 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14841

Derived from the residues of coffee processing, cascara has been consumed traditionally in Yemen, Ethiopia, and Bolivia as a herbal or tea-like infusion due, in part, to its pleasant flavor and nutritional properties. The aim of this work was to investigate the volatile fraction of eight cascaras from different origins and different processes, the pulp and husk of the Coffea arabica L. fruit from Congo, Brazil, Guatemala, Bolivia, Honduras, Colombia and two from Peru. In this study, the volatile compositions of these eight cascaras were characterized to understand their sensorial properties. Using SPME (Solid Phase Micro Extraction), more than one hundred volatile compounds were identified via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The assessment of these analyses in parallel with classical sensory analysis provides an idea of the potential use of cascara as an interesting ingredient for the food and beverage sector. Finally, a cascara flavor wheel has been proposed based on a sensory evaluation of all the investigated cascaras.

Proceedings: Cantergiani, E. Introduction into the Flavor World of Cascara. Proceedings 2023, 89, 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ICC2023-14842