By Alexis Reliford*
You’ve probably heard about all the research on the health perks of your morning brew. But the latest buzz is about coffee flour, which may be even better for you.
Its body-boosting secret? A large dose of the antioxidant chlorogenic acid (CGA), according to the flour’s inventor, Daniel Perlman, PhD, a biophysicist at Brandeis University.
CGA, found in raw coffee beans, is thought to be responsible for some of java’s most impressive benefits. But much of this powerful nutrient is broken down when the beans are roasted at high temperatures.
Perlman has figured out how to make tasty coffee flour from green beans that are just partially baked (at lower temps for less time) so they retain nearly all of their CGA, the Boston Globe reported.
Pearlman scored a patent on his process last month, and hopes a food company will license the flour—which contains three to four times as much CGA as roasted beans. He told Eater a number of companies have already tested it in bakery products.
And yes, coffee addicts, it offers a caffeine fix too.
“This flour contains 2.5 percent caffeine by weight,” Pearlman explained to Eater. “So if you were to put four grams of this into, say, a breakfast muffin, it would be the equivalent of drinking a cup of coffee.”
Just don’t count on a post-espresso kick: “I would expect [the flour’s caffeine] to be absorbed a little more gradually than the caffeine in a cup of coffee, so [it would offer] a more sustained release and longer-term stimulation,” he said.
Coffee scones with a subtle but long-lasting buzz? Yes, please!
