Abstract
Roasting coffee results in not only the creation of carcinogens such as acrylamide, furan, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but also the elimination of carcinogens in raw coffee beans such as endotoxins, preservatives, or pesticides by burning off. However, it has not been determined if the concentrations of these carcinogens are sufficient to make either light or dark roast coffee more carcinogenic in a living organism. An Ames test was conducted on light, medium, and dark roast coffee from three different origins. We found that lighter roast coffee shows higher mutagenicity, which is reduced to control level in dark roast coffee in coffee varieties indicating that the roasting process is not increasing mutagenic potential, but is beneficial to eliminate the existing carcinogens in raw coffee beans. This result suggests that dark roast coffee is safer, and promotes further studies of the various carcinogens in raw coffee that have been burned off.
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