EXPLORING THE ESSENTIAL MINERAL CONTENT OF BRAZILIAN CANEPHORAS COFFEE WITH A PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION

Robusta Amazônico (RA) and Conilon from the state of Espírito Santo (CES) are the only Brazilian canephora coffees that have geographical origin certification and are thus distinguished by their significant economic value. The mineral composition of green coffee beans is fundamental to recognizing possible markers for traceability of origin, as well as assessing their nutritional content. The aim of this study was to assess the levels of potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn) in coffee samples from the origins mentioned above. Samples RA (n=10) and CES (n=10) were ground and mineralized by acid digestion. The element content was determined in triplicate by FAAS (flame atomic absorption spectrometry). The means were compared using the t-test and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out. The findings underscored K as the prevailing mineral in both coffees, registering at 1971.4 and 2190.6mg/100g, respectively. Mn exhibited lower concentrations in RA, while Zn was less abundant in CES, tallying respective averages of 0.53 and 0.25mg/100g. The PCA showed that the two main components (PC1 and PC2) explained 68.8% of the variability in the data. PC1, representing 49.5% of this variation, grouped the samples by geographical origin, with RA samples having positive values and CE samples having negative values. This is because PC1 identified that minerals such as Mg, Zn and Cu were more abundant in RA coffees, while K was higher in CES coffees. These minerals can be considered markers of origin since they were the only ones to show a significant difference between the groups. In conclusion, the investigated coffees contain minerals of both nutritional, with certain minerals also serving as chemical indicators of geographical origin.