Coffee grounds found to be rich in antioxidants

Coffee’s reputation has been given a boost in recent years, thanks in part to the discovery that it is rich in antioxidants. Now it seems that even spent coffee grounds are chock-full of these compounds, which have potential health benefits.

In ACS’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers explain how to extract antioxidants from the grounds. They then determined just how concentrated the antioxidants are.

The researchers used three different methods to release antioxidants from spent grounds and found high levels of phenols in the extracts - sometimes at higher levels than in brewed coffee. Thus, the scientists conclude, the coffee grounds have the potential to serve as additives to enhance the potential health effects of other food products.