Coffee has been getting some good publicity recently due to some favourable findings from the researchers. One Harvard study for instance, found that people who drink three to five cups of coffee a day have a 15 per cent reduction in death risk from all causes compared to people who don’t drink coffee. Just recently we reported a study showing that coffee can increase physical endurance by up to 24 per cent. Coffee is a complex food with many ingredients leading to its effects but a new study has found that it might be possible to make a “coffee flour” that might be even healthier for you.
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One of the ingredients in coffee that certainly contributes to any health benefits is chlorogenic acid (CGA), an antioxidant thought to be helpful in modulating sugar metabolism, lowering blood pressure and maybe reducing heart disease and cancer risk. However, when coffee beans are roasted as is usual at above 200 degrees Celsius for 10 to 15 minutes the CGA content can drop by anywhere from 50 to 100 per cent.
In an effort to preserve CGA a researcher has now developed a method of preparing coffee beans that produces a “coffee flour”. In the new technique the coffee beans are parbaked at around 150 degrees Celsius for ten minutes. This means that the bean isn’t roasted long enough to develop flavour but the concentration of CGA was hardly diminished. These beans can’t be used for coffee as the flavour just isn’t there but what happens to them next is that they are milled in an ultra-cold, chemically inert liquid nitrogen atmosphere that is designed to protect the bean’s ingredients from oxidation.
The researcher who has developed this method sees the coffee flour being used in flours for baking, breakfast cereals, soups, and even juices.
It is a tantalising thought, you might be able to have coffee and croissant just by having a “coffee croissant” and you won’t need to dirty a cup.
