High Acrylamide Levels in Espresso

PORTO, PortugalThe level of acrylamidea naturally occurring chemical that may cause a human health riskin espresso coffee might be influenced by species, roast degree and brew length, according to Portuguese research to be published in Food Chemistry.

Researchers analyzed espresso made from medium roasted pure arabica and robusta samples and found the mean acrylamide contents of 30 ml of the beverage were 1.16 ± 0.25 and 2.31 ± 0.43 g, respectively. Espressos from commercial blends contained an average acrylamide level of 1.26 ± 0.28 g. The study found a25% decrease in acrylamide when comparing espressos prepared with medium and dark roasted coffee. In addition, the level of acrylamide was affected by brew volume, with long espressos (70 mL) containing practically all acrylamide of the coffee cake (99%), almost double that of short ones (20 mL). The researchers noted that the espresso acrylamide concentration (g/L) was higher compared to regular coffee, but because of the smaller amount per cup, drinking espresso may contribute less to acrylamide ingestion than drinking regular coffee.