Investigation on the mitigation effects of furfuryl alcohol and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and their carboxylic acid derivatives in coffee and coffee-related model systems.

The mitigation of furfuryl alcohol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2-furoic acid, and 5-hydroxymethyl 2-furoic acid was conducted in two dry model systems mimicking coffee and an actual coffee system by incorporating 14 chemicals, that are categorized to phenolic acids, flavonoids, non-phenolic antioxidants, and non-antioxidant agents. Mitigation effects were determined as the decrease in the levels of the studied furan derivatives after the systems went through a controlled roasting process. Strong mitigation effects in the dry model systems were observed after the application of phenolic acids, quinic acid or EDTA. The mitigation effects of phenolic acids and flavonoids depended on the number and availability of phenolic hydroxyl groups. Certain agents exhibited a furan derivative-specific reducing effect while most of them showed a generalized effect. The mitigation efficacy decreased with the increasing complexity of the tested systems. In the coffee system, mitigation effects were almost completely lost in comparison with dry model systems. Still, taurine and sodium sulfite exerted the strongest mitigation effect in the coffee system.