Analytical Platform to Determine Similarities and Dissimilarities between Cell-Cultured Coffee and Farm-Grown Coffee

Abstract

With global demand for coffee on the rise, coffee cultivation faces multiple challenges, e.g. ensuring supply and reducing their environmental impact. To address these, alternatives to traditional coffee (TC) are proposed such as coffee substitutes and cell-cultured coffees (CC). To assess similarities and differences between traditional and alternative coffees, a three-step analysis is introduced, encompassing precursor analysis in unroasted, aroma in roasted, and sensory in brew. Unroasted CC has higher monosaccharide, lower amino acids and lipids content, and different organic acid profile. Chlorogenic acids, caffeine and trigonelline, were low to absent. Roasted CC revealed lower aroma compound intensity in S- and N-containing compounds, Strecker aldehydes and guaiacols. Nevertheless, furfurals, higher homologous aldehydes, and hydrocarbons were abundant. This provides a protocol for mapping out the performance of alternatives to TC and guiding their optimization.