Effect of Asparaginase Enzyme in the Reduction of Asparagine in Green Coffee
Ana Carolina Vieira Porto,
Otniel Freitas-Silva,
Erika Fraga de Souza,
Leda Maria Fortes Gottschalk
Affiliations
Ana Carolina Vieira Porto
Food and Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Department of Food Technology, Nutrition School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State-UNIRIO, Av. Pasteur, 296, Urca, 22290-240 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Otniel Freitas-Silva
Food and Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Department of Food Technology, Nutrition School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State-UNIRIO, Av. Pasteur, 296, Urca, 22290-240 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Erika Fraga de Souza
Food and Nutrition Postgraduate Program, Department of Food Technology, Nutrition School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State-UNIRIO, Av. Pasteur, 296, Urca, 22290-240 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Leda Maria Fortes Gottschalk
Embrapa Agroindústria de Alimentos, Av. das Américas, 29501, 23.020-470 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world, especially in Nordic countries. Its composition has substances considered to have high value for human health, such as chlorogenic and phenolic acids. However, the roasting of coffee can form substances such as acrylamide that are considered toxic and carcinogenic, depending on the time and the heat of roasting. However, there are some ways of reducing acrylamide formation during the processing of coffee beans. The reduction of its precursor asparagine is one of these ways. This can be achieved by the treatment of beans with the enzyme asparaginase. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of applying asparaginase (Acrylaway™) and evaluate the reduction of the amount of asparagine in Coffea arabica and C. canephora beans. The results showed the effectiveness of the enzyme in the reduction of free asparagine in green coffee beans of both species (C. arabica and C. canephora). Steam pretreatment was effective for the two species but required different times (30 min for C. arabica and 45 min for C. canephora). This can be attributed to the different chemical compositions found in the two species.