Aceitação e preferência por cafés submetidos a diferentes métodos de extração de cafeína

Abstract

Introduction: researches have been made to determine the coffee components and its functions, sensory characteristics and effects related to human health. Caffeine is one of the most consumed psychoactive substances in the world. During the last five decades, the worldwide caffeine consumption almost doubled, mainly trough coffee. For this reason, many studies have been conducted on the effects of this substance, resulting in the inability to reach a consensus on its positive and negative effects. This dichotomy ultimately causes increased consumption of decaffeinated coffee, often for medical advice. The decaffeination and raw whole grains in place before the process of roasting. Several methods of decaffeination use solvents for extraction of caffeine, dichloromethane is the most used in Brazil. During the extraction of caffeine, the loss of other components is expected. Objective: identify the degree of acceptance and preference of coffee prepared with different conditions of extraction of caffeine for habitual consumers of the drink. Methods: three samples of coffee were obtained: traditional (not decaf), decaffeinated by chemical method (dichloromethane) and decaffeinated by the natural method (water) and after roasted and grounded. 110 consumers received the coffee samples, monadic and random, with portionated sugar or sweetener. Tests were performed with affective form of quantitative assessment of (1: I hate very much to 7: I like very much) for 4 attributes (color, aroma, body and flavor). The coffee was filtrated (concentration 7%). The results were collected and analyzed through the Fizz (ANOVA and Tukey, p = 0,05) The samples were submited by a physicochemical analysis to determine moisture, ash, protein, total lipids, carbohydrates and caffeine. Results: the decaffeinated coffee treated by chemical methods presented lower acceptance when compared with the other two coffees on 4 attributes, but with differences to the flavor and body. However, related to flavor, there was statistical difference between the traditional and decaffeinated coffees with water with decaffeinated with the dichloromethane. Significant differences were found in physical-chemical analysis for protein and lipids in decaffeinated coffee compared to the traditional one. Discussion: the extraction of different compounds of coffee by the method of decaffeination showed particular physical and chemical differences of coffee flavor on the extraction with chemical method. This chemical method might change the sensory characteristics of the drink. No differences were perceived through the physicochemical analysis.