The lipid oxidation process of Robusta green coffee beans was characterized during accelerated storage for 20 days at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C. The conventional oxidation indexes and fatty acid compositions were evaluated, and the shelf life of the green coffee beans was predicted using the Arrhenius model. The acid value, iodine value, peroxide value, total oxidation value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and free fatty acid content increased throughout storage, while the moisture content, p-anisidine value, and unsaturated fatty acid content decreased, which suggests that lipid oxidation occurred during accelerated storage. The predicted shelf life of green coffee bean samples were 57.39 days, 44.44 days, and 23.12 days when stored at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C, respectively. This study provided scientific evidence of the impact of lipid oxidation on the loss of quality during the accelerated storage of green coffee beans.
We investigated the effects of different drying methods (room temperature drying, heat pump drying, freeze drying, microwave vacuum drying [MVD], and combined microwave power vacuum drying) on the active ingredients of green coffee beans. We specifically focused on eleven phenolic acids, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), the inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation (LPO), and enzyme activity, and the bio‐accessibility in vitro and bioavailability of phenolics and antioxidant activities were also evaluated. MVD‐treated beans had the lowest PPO activity and the highest contents of 5‐caffeoylquinic acid (1.39 g/100 g DW), 3‐feruloylquinic acid (0.25 g/100 g DW), 4‐feruloylquinic acid (0.25 g/100 g DW), 5‐feruloylquinic acid (1.52 g/100 g DW), and TPC (5.98 g GAE/100 g DW), and the highest antioxidant activity. MVD was the least time‐consuming (0.63 hr/kg) and energy‐consuming (1.88 kwh/kg) method. Moreover, the strongest inhibition of LPO and α‐glucosidase was observed in MVD‐treated beans. Thus, MVD is suggested to be the most suitable drying technique for the preservation of phenolic compounds and bioactivities of green coffee beans.
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of microwave vacuum drying (MVD) on the drying characteristics and quality attributes of green coffee beans. We specifically focused on the effective moisture diffusion coefficient (Deff), surface temperature, glass transition temperature (Tg), water state, and microstructure. The kinetics of color changes during drying, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS) were also characterized. Microwave power during MVD affected the porosity of coffee beans, their color, TPC, and antioxidant activity. The Allometric 1 model was the most suitable for simulating surface temperature rise kinetics. Thermal processing of green coffee beans resulted in increased b*, L*, ΔE, and TPC values, and greater antioxidant capacity. These findings may provide a theoretical reference for the technical improvement, mechanisms of flavor compound formation, and quality control of dried green coffee beans.