Do you know what coffee ingredients are? What chemicals does a coffee tree seed contain, and what is the percentage of each in your coffee cup? Are these substances harmful or beneficial to our body? What are the chemical ingredients of coffee? In this article, we will examine the chemicals in coffee beans in detail and tell you the characteristics of each of them. Stay with us because you will be amazed with this interesting information about caffeine. Share this article with other people who love to drink coffee everyday.

Caffeine (C8H10N4O2)

Caffeine is the substance that causes the world’s coffee production to be about 16 billion tons per year. Caffeine is an alkaline substance used by plants to kill insects. This substance replaces adenosine in the human body and sits on its receptors, and as a result, the person does not feel drowsy. When adenosine does not come to mind, the person becomes alert and does not feel tired at all.

If we want to explain more precisely, we must say that the human sleep alert system is applied by adenosines. That is, when the brain feels tired and realizes that it needs to lead the body to sleep to repair, it secretes adenosine and sends them to nerve receptors to affect them and make the person feel drowsy. Caffeine here, when it enters the body, goes to the adenosines, rejects them and replaces them themselves.

In this case, the nerve receptors are reactivated and the person gets rid of the feeling of drowsiness. In other words, caffeine alone does not cause consciousness. Rather, it eliminates the cause of drowsiness.

However, if too much caffeine is consumed, it can disrupt the functioning of the human sleep system and lead to bad moods. Because human beings need sleep anyway, and if this sleep is less than allowed, cell and nerve repairs will not be performed and ultimately will reduce brain function.

Caffeine benefits for physical activities

In a recent study of animals at Coventry University, researchers found that caffeine consumption largely offset the decline in muscle strength caused by aging. This study was performed on skeletal muscle and diaphragm and showed that in both muscle groups, caffeine consumption in moderation maintains overall muscle fitness and prevents age-related injuries in athletes.

Also, Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that consuming two to three cups of coffee approximately 30 minutes before a high-intensity workout could reduce muscle soreness. Therefore, consuming coffee before weight training and high intensity, delays the feeling of pain in the muscles and thus improves the overall  performance of athletes.

Other chemical substances in coffee

1.    Ethyl phenol

ethyl phenol has a dark color and its medicinal aroma makes you feel refreshed by drinking coffee in the morning. Ethyl phenol is produced by the fermentation of coffee beans and is released during the extraction process and eventually reaches your body. It is also used as a warning chemical, disrupting insect communication, which keeps insects from escaping.

Of course, this should not worry you at all because its effect on the human body is not like insects.

2.    Quinic acid

Quinic acid is one of the most important acids in coffee ingredients. This acid, known as a type of phenolic acid, is basically obtained after breaking down chlorogenic acid. In other words, when chlorogenic acid begins to break down during the roasting process, especially at high temperatures, two other types of acid are formed: quinic acid and caffeic acid.

In a way, quinic acid in dark roast coffees is more than medium roast and light roast. Because more chlorogenic acid is broken down.

This acid gives a sour taste to coffee. Of course, part of the bitterness of coffee is due to this acid. But in the end, the taste of quinic acid depends on the substance it contains. Quinic acid in tea, for example, tends to be more bitter than sour.

This acid also raises the acidity as the temperature of the coffee cup decreases, which is why you feel more sour when your coffee cools down a bit. In addition, quinic acid is used as a chemical initiator in the formulation of anti-influenza drugs.

3.    Caffeic acid

the other acid that results from chlorogenic breakdown is caffeic acid, another ingredient in coffee. This acid mostly causes bitter tastes in coffee. However, it also causes sour and acidic tastes.

Caffeic acid, like its twin brother, is a type of phenolic acid that increases the acidity of coffee as the temperature of the cup decreases. This acid has many antioxidant properties that its presence in coffee is very useful for humans.

4.    Theophylline

Theophylline is one of the most interesting ingredients in coffee. It is one of several caffeine-related chemicals used to open the airways and treat diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and bloating. Of course, it may be incompatible with many of the antibiotics that are being developed recently.

Coffee addiction is the second most addictive drug in the world after nicotine. Songs and poems have been written to describe it for a long time. From Johann Sebastian Bach to Julian Smith, many people literally can not spend a day without coffee.

What is the chemical name for coffee?

Last note

The permissible amount of coffee per day is about 300 mg, equivalent to three 8-ounce cups (equivalent to 240 cc), which will not be harmful to health, but experts have suggested different amounts for each specific group, which are given below.

As mentioned above, the permissible daily limit of drinking coffee is 300 grams, but each person with the conditions should choose the best amount for themselves to be able to receive the health benefits of coffee without harm.

Now with knowing this much information about caffeine and other chemical substances in coffee, you can share this information with your friends and family members too and make them aware about the right amount of coffee they can use in their everyday life.