La frazione lipidica del caffè. 2: Su alcuni parametri di qualificazione

This study describes the lipid fraction obtained from commercially-packed and wholesale coffee samples from different geographic origin. The aim was to evaluate various analytical techniques for the differentiation between types of coffee, decaffeination process and the commercial origin of the product. The composition of the triglycerides, the total fatty acids and the volatile compounds were determined in all the commercial samples. The other samples were subjected to the following analysis: total diterpenic alcohols, total sterols and volatile compounds. The analysis of free sterols and polar minor components were tested in some samples. The determinations of total diterpenic alcohols, sterols, volatile compounds and polar minor components could provide useful information for the differentiation of coffee types, processing technology and commercial origin.