Changes in aroma compounds of decaffeinated coffee beans

Abstract

In this study, we wanted to understand the impact of different decaffeination processes on aroma compounds of coffee. Therefore, we analyzed differences in physical characteristics and volatile aroma compounds profiles of regular coffee (RC), Swiss water process decaffeinated coffee (SWDC), and supercritical CO2 decaffeinated coffee (SCDC) after roasting the coffee beans. The electronic nose analysis identified RC and SCDC as different groups which indicates that these groups volatile aroma compound compositions were different. The principal component analysis of volatile compound patterns identified using an electronic nose indicated that there was a large difference in volatile compounds between RC, which was not decaffeinated, and both decaffeinated SWDC and SCDC. The major aroma compounds of RC, SWDC and SCDC were propan-2-one and hexan-2-one which are ketone, and hexanal and (E)-2-pentenal which are aldehyde and 3-methyl-1-butanol which is an alcohol. After roasting, the composition of major volatile compounds appearing in the beans was similar, but the relative odor intensity was different. We identified 28 volatile aroma compounds from RC, SWDC, and SCDC using headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS), and analyzed 10 major compounds that were present in high abundance, including furfural, 2-furanmethanol, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, and 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine.