Ewelina Stelmach

The content of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg and Mn and antioxidant activity of green coffee brews

A simple and fast method of the analysis of green coffee infusions was developed to measure total concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg and Mn by high resolution-continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The precision of the method was within 1-8%, while the accuracy was within -1% to 2%. The method was used to the analysis of infusions of twelve green coffees of different geographical origin. It was found that Ca and Mg were leached the easiest, i.e., on average 75% and 70%, respectively. As compared to the mug coffee preparation, the rate of the extraction of elements was increased when infusions were prepared using dripper or Turkish coffee preparation methods. Additionally, it was established that the antioxidant activity of green coffee infusions prepared using the mug coffee preparation was high, 75% on average, and positively correlated with the total content of phenolic compounds and the concentration of Ca in the brew.

Simplified sample treatment for the determination of total concentrations and chemical fractionation forms of Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn in soluble coffees

A simpler, and faster than wet digestion, sample treatment was proposed prior to determination of total concentrations for selected macro- (Ca, Mg) and microelements (Fe, Mn) in soluble coffees by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Samples were dissolved in water and acidified with HNO3. Precision was in the range 1-4% and accuracy was better than 2.5%. The method was used in analysis of 18 soluble coffees available on the Polish market. Chemical fractionation patterns for Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn in soluble coffees, as consumed, using a two-column solid-phase extraction method, determined Ca, Mg and Mn were present predominantly as cations (80-93% of total content). This suggests these elements are likely to be highly bioaccessible.

Evaluation of the bioaccessability of Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn in ground coffee infusions by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

The bioaccessibility of Ca, Mg, Mn and Fe in ground coffee brews was assessed through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion with stomach and intestinal juice solutions (pepsin, pancreatin and bile salts). Absorption of metals in the intestinal villi was simulated by ultrafiltration over a 3 kDa molecular weight cut-off semi-permeable membrane. Concentrations of Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn in coffee infusions and permeates of gastrointestinal incubates were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. It was established that Mg, with a 62% contribution to the bioaccessible fraction, was the most bioaccessible. The bioaccessibilities of Ca (42%) and Fe (43%) were similar but individual results for both metals varied widely. The least bioaccessible metal was Mn, with an average contribution of 27%. Drinking one cup of coffee daily covers dietary reference intakes of Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn to a small degree (less than 3%).

Speciation and Fractionation of Elements in Tea Infusions

Elements in tea infusions may be present in the form of various species with different mobility, availability, and biological activity. As a result, actual impact of the consumption of this beverage on human health cannot be anticipated on the basis of measurements of total concentrations of elements. Nevertheless, this type of the elemental analysis is generally found in the relevant literature and its results are used to judge the safety of tea according to accepted health and nutrition standards or estimate the coverage of recommended daily allowances for elements. Such an approach is not entirely justified because the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of elements from tea can be dependent on their ultimate speciation forms. The need for reliable information on the functional speciation of elements present in tea, the most popular beverage in everyday life, is obvious in terms of the comprehension of the nutritional value and safety of tea. This review article covers the topic of the speciation and fractionation of elements in tea. It discusses the relationship of different forms of elements with their leachability, bioavailability, and actual uptake. Analytical approaches to the speciation and fractionation analysis are presented.

A simplified determination of total concentrations of Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn in addition to their bioaccessible fraction in popular instant coffee brews.

A direct analysis of instant coffee brews with HR-CS-FAAS spectrometry to determine the total Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn content has been developed and validated. The proposed method is simple and fast; it delivers good analytical performance; its accuracy being within -3% to 3%, its precision--2-3% and detection limits--0.03, 0.04, 0.004 and 0.01 mg l(-1) for Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn, respectively. In addition, Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn bioaccessibility in instant coffee brews was measured by means of the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion with the use of simulated gastric and intestinal juice solutions. Absorption of metals in intestinal villi was simulated by means of ultrafiltration over semi-permeable membrane with a molecular weight cut-off of 5 kDa. Ca, Fe, Mg and Mn concentrations in permeates of instant coffee gastrointestinal incubates were measured with HR-CS-FAA spectrometry.

Multivariate data reduction and discrimination of black and green teas due to the physical fractionation pattern of selected metals determined in their infusions.

An analytical scheme for the physical fractionation of Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr and Zn in black and green teas infusions was proposed. It was based on the ultrafiltration/centrifugation through five membranes having molecular weight cut-offs of 100, 50, 30, 10 and 5kDa. The concentrations of the studied metals in the highest and the lowest molecular weight fractions were found to classify and discriminate the analyzed teas infusions much better than the total metals concentrations. The differences in the physical fractionation patterns of these metals assessed for both tea varieties was profound and let to simply classify the infusions of different black and green teas by principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis.