Beverages of Coffee and Phytochemicals Present in Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora – A Review

Coffee plant which belongs to Rubiaceae family, generally grows along the equator in tropical and subtropical areas. The generic name, coffee, covers about 100 species of plants, but the two main species used for making beverages are called Coffea arabica (Arabica, accounting for 60-70% of the world’s production) and Coffea canephora (Robusta). Coffee plant contains phytochemicals such as sugars, proteins, organic acids, flavonoids and polyphenols, etc. Coffee is a reputed folk medicinal plant containing phytochemicals, which exhibit mainly antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-diabetes properties. Caffeine is one of the most controversial phytochemicals present in coffee. Caffeine amount per 100 mL of coffee brew from medium roasted coffee can vary from 50 mg to 380 mg. A typical cup (240 mL) of coffee can contain 70-140 mg of caffeine and if one drinks more than 4 cups of coffee per day, he or she is considered to be addicted to caffeine, which may cause caffeinism. Nowadays decaffeinated coffee beverages are popular among people as it consists of extremely low caffeine content; about 1 mg per 100 mL. Decaffeination can be achieved by using organic solvents, carbon dioxide, water, or using different absorbents. Lots of coffee beverages are categorized by the brewing method and most of them are prepared by mixing the brew in water, milk or ice-cream. The scope of this overview is to discuss the importance of the types of phytochemicals present and the types of coffee beverages.