With the alarming shortages of coffee, manufacturers are now incorporating other additives known as fillers in coffee. Now, you may not be aware but your coffee may contain brown sugar, wheat, soybean, rye, barley, corn, twigs, acai seeds and even dirt.
As the prices of coffee are increasing, the quality decreases. These fillers are not easily detected and many would be aware that their favorite hot drink may contain these extra additives. Although these are natural and are not harmful to one's health, it may be bad for those who have allergies on these additives.
"With a lower supply of coffee in the market, prices rise, and that favors fraud because of the economic gain," says Suzana Lucy Nixdorf, Ph.D., of State University of Londrina in Brazil.
Brazil, the highest producer of coffee normally produces 55 million bags of coffee. But with shortage, it is expected to make only 45 million bags of coffee.
National Coffee Association report in 2013 states that there are 83 percent of Americans who are drinking coffee while 63 percent are daily drinkers. Coffee is claimed to be beneficial to those who have developing type 2 diabetes, helps protect against cancer and prevents depression and stroke in women.
According to Women's Health Magazine, as early in the harvesting, researchers have found that these additives including acai seeds, barley, brown sugar, chickory, corn, cocoa seeds, seed husks, soybeans, rye, rice, tricticale, starch syrup, wheat and sticks were incorporated by the growers.
Many were wondering how these additives become undetected. In the process of roasting and grinding, these impurities will become hardly noticeable as they mixed in to the coffee granules. The reason may be because of the oily texture and dark color of the coffee.
As coffee impurities become a major issue, researchers have built tests to spot additives in coffee. One way to spot impurities is through a microscope where researchers have found twigs, berries or even dirt. It can also be detected through taste. Coffee mixed with corn has sweeter taste, Washington Post reported.
