DETECTION OF ADULTERATION IN PURE SOLUBLE COFFEE BY ENZYMATIC SUGAR DETERMINATION

Detection of adulteration in instant coffee with various carbohydrate-containing coffee substitutes can be easily achieved by an enzymatic determination of fructose and glucose after controlled acid hydrolysis of the suspected sample. The procedure was applied to pure soluble coffees of different origins. Analysis of deliberately adulterated instant coffees enabled lowest detectable levels to be determined for various ingredients. The procedure can be applied to the detection of low levels of other substitutes such as chicory, cereal products, caramel, figs, maltodextrins, glucose syrups, starch and unroasted coffee husks/parchment.