Polyphenols vs. Caffeine in Coffee from Franchise Coffee Shops: Which Serving of Coffee Provides the Optimal Amount of This Compounds to the Body

Abstract

The scientific literature indicates that there is a limited number of data on the content of bioactive components in coffees consumed “on the go”. Therefore, this study examined the polyphenol and caffeine content of different types of coffee from franchise coffee shops, and the caffeine/total polyphenol ratio. The five most popular types of coffee purchased in six franchise coffee shops in Warsaw were analysed. A total of 120 coffee samples were tested. A significant positive (r = 0.7407, p p p < 0.05) the most total polyphenol (average 223.5 ± 81.5 mg), while the highest caffeine content was provided by a serving of ice latte/latte frappe (average 136 ± 57.0 mg). The most favourable ratio of caffeine to total polyphenols (0.56) was found in a serving of Americano coffee; therefore, it seems that this coffee can be considered optimal in terms of the content of both compounds. These findings demonstrate that the polyphenol and caffeine contents of coffees offered in franchise coffee shops are closely related to the serving size.

Keywords

• polyphenols
• caffeine
• coffee
• franchise coffee shops
• coffees serving size