The term 'coffee' comprises not only the consumable beverage obtained by
extracting roasted coffee with hot water, but also a whole range of
intermediate products starting from the freshly harvested coffee
cherries. Green coffee beans are, however, the main item of
international trade (believed second in importance only to oiI), for
processing into roasted coffee, instant coffee and other coffee
products, prepared for local consumers. The scientific and technical
study of coffee in its entirety therefore involves a wide range of
scientific disciplines and practical skills. It is evident that green
coffee is a natural product of great compositional complexity, and this
is even more true for coffee products deriving from the roasting of
coffee. The present volume on the chemistry of coffee seeks to provide
the re ader with a full and detailed synopsis of present knowledge on
the chemical aspects of green, roasted and instant coffee, in a way
which has not been attempted before, that is, within the confines of a
single volume solely devoted to the subject. Each chapter is directed
towards a separate generic group of constituents known to be present,
ranging individually over carbohydrate, nitrogenous and lipid
components, not forgetting the important aroma components of roasted
coffee, nor the water present and its significance, together with groups
of other important components.