Dissertation defence (Food Development): MSc (Tech) Priscilla Ollennu-Chuasam
MSc (Tech) Priscilla Ollennu-Chuasam defends the dissertation in Food Development titled “Bioactive compounds in coffee beverages, and investigation into components of coffee cell cultures” at the University of Turku on 25 September 2026 at 12.00 (University of Turku, Pharmacity, Pha 1, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4, Turku).
Opponent: Adjunct Professor Minnamari Edelmann, Ph.D (University of Helsinki)
Custos: Adjunct Professor Jukka-Pekka Suomela, Ph.D. (University of Turku)
Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
Coffee is a beverage consumed globally for its sensory appeal. Coffee contains nutrients like lipids, and bioactive compounds associated with biological health effects. Processes such as fermentation, roasting, grinding, and the method of brewing affect the type and content of these bioactive compounds in coffee beverages. Coffee plants are under threat due to climate change which threatens the food production system which will negatively affect both yield and crop quality. Therefore, research into sustainable alternatives for conventionally-grown coffee is needed. Current research into coffee production from cell cultured Coffea arabica in the laboratory has been successful setting the stage for investigations into components of coffee cell cultures. Coffee cell cultures are produced from 100% coffee plants and have the advantage of standardization, scalability upon demand, and sustainability over conventional coffee beans.
This research aimed at answering the following questions: How does roast level of coffee beans and type of brewing method affect the bioactive compounds in coffee beverages and how similar are constituents of coffee cell cultures to those of green coffee beans?
The methodological approach used in this research was non-targeted metabolomics using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/QTOF) combined with metabolomics profiling methods. Different coffee brewing methods were compared in study I, whereas effect of roast level was evaluated in study II. For study III, coffee cell cultures grown either in the presence or absence of light were compared with green coffee beans from Ethiopia and Colombia.
Study I demonstrated that coffee beverages prepared from the same coffee composition using different brewing methods differ in their nutritional profiles. Nordic pot coffee recorded the highest total triglycerides and diterpene content while espresso was highest in caffeine and chlorogenic acids. Filter coffee had the lowest lipid content. The finding suggests possible differences in the health benefits of different coffee beverages prepared from the same coffee material. This will help consumers and nutritional advisors to make or provide informed choices about the different types of coffee beverages based on their nutritional requirement. Results of Study II suggest that in Nordic pot coffee and filter coffee, bioactive compounds such as chlorogenic acid and trigonelline are highest in light roast coffee beans and decrease with increase in roast level. Quinic acid, and niacin – degradative products of chlorogenic acid and trigonelline, respectively – were highest in beverages prepared from dark roast coffee. The lipid content of the coffee beverages was not significantly altered by roast level, but Nordic pot coffee was higher in total lipid and diterpenes compared to filter coffee. Caffeine content was similar in both of these beverages irrespective of the roast level. The findings provide coffee roasters the opportunity to optimize the coffee roasting process to attain a balance between nutrition and sensory properties.
The findings of Study III showed that the profile of coffee cell cultures was not entirely comparable to green coffee beans. Green coffee beans were higher in triglycerides and disaccharides while cell cultures were higher in monosaccharides, which suggests differences in the sensory profiles of the resultant beverages of these coffee types. The presence of light enhanced the production of some compounds in coffee cell cultures. The findings show that the biosynthesis pathways for the production of the main bioactive compounds in conventional coffee beans are active in coffee cell cultures. Based on the results, coffee cell cultures seem promising as an alternative to traditional coffee. Nevertheless, further optimization of the production process to increase the content of compounds that are either absent or present in low amount in cell cultured coffee is needed.
