ABSTRACT
Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed pharmacologically active beverages, and one of the most important agricultural commodities traded worldwide. This chapter presents an overview of the application of spectroscopic methods to coffee analysis, according to the type of coffee product. Although most of the research on spectroscopic methods applied to coffee has focused on the analysis of roasted coffee or its associated beverages, there are several studies that have dealt with the analysis of green beans. The most commonly employed spectroscopic methods are infrared, followed by nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman, and ultraviolet–visible. Krakowian et al. employed the technique electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at X-band to compare free radicals properties and concentrations in different commercially available coffees, in both solid and liquid states. They also determined the effects of roasting on the formation of free radicals in coffee beans of various origins.
