Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee?
Novel methods of coffee processing, including animal-assisted fermentation, are gaining popularity—among them, elephant dung coffee stands out for its rarity and high price, making it a likely target for adulteration. This study aims to discover candidate biomarkers for elephant coffee by comparing...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Jan Hájíček Gökçe Hoca Matúš Várady Petr Maršík Adéla Fraňková Jan Tauchen |
| author_facet | Jan Hájíček Gökçe Hoca Matúš Várady Petr Maršík Adéla Fraňková Jan Tauchen |
| author_sort | Jan Hájíček |
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| description | Novel methods of coffee processing, including animal-assisted fermentation, are gaining popularity—among them, elephant dung coffee stands out for its rarity and high price, making it a likely target for adulteration. This study aims to discover candidate biomarkers for elephant coffee by comparing the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and volatile profiles of Arabica coffee processed by three methods: conventional, civet-derived, and elephant-derived (all originated from Southeast Asia, medium roast). Analytical methods included HPLC-UV and GC-SPME-MS, along with in vitro antioxidant assays (DPPH, ORAC, ABTS, total phenolics, and total flavonoids). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate differences between the samples. While elephant coffee showed lower caffeine (0.93%) and antioxidant capacity across all assays, it was richer in selected volatile compounds, such as pyrazines (e.g., 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine; 3.73% RPA), 2- and 3-methybutanal (1.18 and 0.19% RPA), and furfuryl acetate (18.00% RPA; <i>p</i> < 0.05). These changes are likely to be due to fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite differences, no definitive biomarker of elephant coffee was found, suggesting that discrimination from other coffee samples may not be as simple as previous studies indicated. More studies with a higher number of samples that employ an extensive analytical approach (e.g., omics or NMR) to thoroughly analyze the phytochemical profile of coffee beans before and after digestion by the elephant are needed. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| series | Beverages |
| spelling | doaj-art-4ec0140b1d4e4c598660d7b6fdc13e282025-08-20T03:32:31ZengMDPI AGBeverages2306-57102025-06-011137910.3390/beverages11030079Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee?Jan Hájíček0Gökçe Hoca1Matúš Várady2Petr Maršík3Adéla Fraňková4Jan Tauchen5Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Food Hygiene, Technology and Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 041 81 Košice, SlovakiaDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicDepartment of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech RepublicNovel methods of coffee processing, including animal-assisted fermentation, are gaining popularity—among them, elephant dung coffee stands out for its rarity and high price, making it a likely target for adulteration. This study aims to discover candidate biomarkers for elephant coffee by comparing the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and volatile profiles of Arabica coffee processed by three methods: conventional, civet-derived, and elephant-derived (all originated from Southeast Asia, medium roast). Analytical methods included HPLC-UV and GC-SPME-MS, along with in vitro antioxidant assays (DPPH, ORAC, ABTS, total phenolics, and total flavonoids). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate differences between the samples. While elephant coffee showed lower caffeine (0.93%) and antioxidant capacity across all assays, it was richer in selected volatile compounds, such as pyrazines (e.g., 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine; 3.73% RPA), 2- and 3-methybutanal (1.18 and 0.19% RPA), and furfuryl acetate (18.00% RPA; <i>p</i> < 0.05). These changes are likely to be due to fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite differences, no definitive biomarker of elephant coffee was found, suggesting that discrimination from other coffee samples may not be as simple as previous studies indicated. More studies with a higher number of samples that employ an extensive analytical approach (e.g., omics or NMR) to thoroughly analyze the phytochemical profile of coffee beans before and after digestion by the elephant are needed.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/11/3/79adulterationauthenticationcivet coffeeelephant dung coffeefermentation |
| spellingShingle | Jan Hájíček Gökçe Hoca Matúš Várady Petr Maršík Adéla Fraňková Jan Tauchen Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? Beverages adulteration authentication civet coffee elephant dung coffee fermentation |
| title | Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity in Conventional, Civet, and Elephant Coffees: Is There a Definitive Authentication Marker of Elephant Coffee? |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of chemical composition and antioxidant activity in conventional civet and elephant coffees is there a definitive authentication marker of elephant coffee |
| topic | adulteration authentication civet coffee elephant dung coffee fermentation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/11/3/79 |
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