Today we will talk about an innovative herbal product, RAW GREEN COFFEE.
From GREEN coffee, also called RAW coffee, a very particular drink is obtained which, in some ways, is similar to traditional black coffee but, for others, it differs substantially from it. These characteristics make green coffee a unique product of its kind and THEREFORE almost INEQUALABLE.
Let's start this brief description by specifying the ORIGIN and the fundamental CHARACTERISTICS of raw coffee.
First of all, by "green coffee" we can mean both the RAW MATERIAL and the DRINK obtained from it.
As can be easily deduced by analyzing the etymology of the term, raw coffee is distinguished from the traditional black one by the ABSENCE of the typical ROASTING HEAT TREATMENT, better known as ROASTING.
The RAW MATERIAL in question is the seed of the ARBOREA TROPICAE plant called Coffea. This, belonging to the Rubiaceae family, can be classified according to the different plant species.
It is conceivable that Coffea originated in Ethiopia but, to date, it boasts many CULTIVARs distributed in a large part of the tropical hemisphere.
Of the suits, the best known are certainly ARABICA, the most PRECIOUS, and ROBUSTA (or CANEPHORA) less aromatic but which occupies MOST of the world plots dedicated to the cultivation of coffee.
INITIALLY, the processing of green coffee does NOT differ from that of traditional black coffee. Let's summarize it BRIEFLY:
When fully ripe, Coffea plants offer small DRUPA-type fruits, vaguely similar to cherries. These are collected and deprived NOT ONLY of the peel (called EPICARP or PERICARP), but also of the pulp (or MESOCARP) and of the PERGAMINO (more correctly ENDOCARP) enveloping the seeds.
At this point, the raw coffee is ready for marketing, while the traditional black coffee requires the roasting process.
Green coffee can be found on the market in the form of WHOLE SEEDS or in POWDER.
The color of the seeds fluctuates between different shades of green and yellow, while the consistency is CARTILAGINOUS and makes them difficult to break with the teeth. The traditional black one, on the other hand, after roasting, is dark brown in color, with a hard and very crumbly consistency.
The organoleptic difference between the two types of coffee is REMARKABLE. The green one is SOUR, light, almost odorless, tasteless and does NOT have any hint of COOKED. The same goes for the dust that is obtained from it.
The raw coffee drink is NOT obtained in a similar way to the traditional one.
The latter, after grinding, undergoes an infusion in water at very high temperature and pressure (with the MOKA system, up to 125 ° C for 1.8 atmospheres). On the contrary, green coffee, after being ground or pounded in a mortar, is intended for an infusion of MAXIMUM 80 ° C which lasts a few minutes. It is therefore a drink much more like a herbal tea than a coffee.
We now come to the NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS and DIETARY FUNCTIONS of raw coffee.
This product has captured the attention of many nutrition professionals and countless consumers thanks to two main ASPECTS:
- Presence of CAFFEINE LEGATA, even if in smaller quantities
- Presence of antioxidants
This molecule, a nerve belonging to the group of METHYLXANTHINS, has sympathetic-mimetic effects on the body. In practice, it simulates the function of CATECOLAMINS (ie certain hormones such as ADRENALINE) and, in parallel, stimulates their secretion.
Obviously, as for all PHARMACOLOGICAL effects, even that of caffeine is DOSE-DEPENDENT and varies according to SUBJECTIVITY and ASSUEFACTION.
However, in general, it is possible to say that caffeine is able to:
- Hyper-activate some physiological mechanisms such as: increased heart rate, coronary flow, snow recruitment, muscle fibrosus, etc.
- Promote, more or less effectively, the LIBERATION of fatty acids from the cells of the adipose tissue or ADIPOCYTES.
At this point, many will ask themselves: WHY CHOOSE RAW COFFEE over TRADITIONAL COFFEE? To understand this, it is necessary to briefly illustrate the fundamental chemical differences between the two types of caffeine.
That of black coffee, in addition to being QUANTITATIVELY greater, is found in free form, that is 1,3,7-TRIMETHYLXANTHINE. On the contrary, the caffeine of the green one, in addition to being less concentrated, is linked to CHLOROGENIC ACID, forming a complex molecule called CHLOROGENATE.
From a digestive and metabolic point of view, the caffeine in black coffee enters the circulation VERY quickly, in about 30 ', and is just as quickly metabolized by the liver and excreted by the kidneys in the urine. Traces of it can be found in circulation even after a long time, but generally NOT beyond 6 hours.
For its part, that of raw coffee, being linked to chlorogenic acid, is slowly absorbed. This results in a more moderate concentration in the blood and slower metabolism and expulsion.
In scientific terms, it could be said that the caffeine of CHLOROGENATE has a higher half-life than the FREE one of black coffee.
In practice, taking green coffee should promote the CONSTANT and MODERATE maintenance of blood levels of caffeine.
Although for many of you this may seem like a superfluous detail, it is not!
This peculiarity drastically REDUCES the onset of side effects and in particular the SUSCEPTIBILITY of GASTRIC MUCOSA.
From all this, it can be deduced that the consumption of green coffee is MORE SUITABLE for food supplementation intended for SLIMMING and especially in subjects who DO NOT TOLERATE caffeine intake well.
Alas, these are still mere assumptions and, for the moment, there are no scientific insights that can prove it.
What, on the other hand, seems completely proven, or the other CHARACTERISTIC of raw coffee, is the presence of various antioxidant molecules that give it the title of PHYTO-COMPLEX.
Generally speaking of POLYPHENOLS, in particular of TANNIC ACID, FERULIC ACID and the same CHLOROGENIC ACID.
There are also certain minerals and a few B vitamins.
To conclude, green coffee is certainly a drink with LESS side effects and MORE useful nutritional molecules than the traditional black one but, due to the strong SUBJECTIVE component and the ABSENCE of experimental data, it is not yet possible to establish its REAL efficacy. application.
