Study shows safety and health benefits of coffee cherry pulp juice

“In this study, we reported a randomized placebo-controlled trial to assess the clinical safety and potential efficacy of continuously repeated intake of coffee cherry pulp juice concentrate, a product made from food waste from coffee manufacturing,” wrote researchers from the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University in Thailand.

The study, published in the journal Nutrients​, was funded by MiVana Coffee, which grows organic Arabica coffee sustainably in the watershed forests of Thailand’s Chiang Rai province and supplied the test products.

Coffee cherry pulp​

Coffee pulp, which refers to the skin and the pulp of the coffee fruit, is the main by-product of coffee production and contains an abundance of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties – especially polyphenols, such as chlorogenic acid, caffeine, catechin, epicatechin, chlorogenic acid and rutin.

“These compounds exhibit functional effects, such as lowered cholesterol, improved liver steatosis and reduced hyperlipidemia, as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammation effects, and improved cognitive function,” the study noted.

The researchers refer to a rat study reporting the safety of up to 300 mg of Coffeeberry​ – an ethanolic extract of the whole coffee fruit, as well as a clinical study in college athletes​ showing that whole coffee fruit powder at 800 mg per day for 28 days increased antioxidant capacity with no adverse event effects.

“Nevertheless, the safety profile of products from coffee pulp, which is the part that contains the richest levels of phytochemicals, is unknown,” they added. “Since components of coffee pulp, such as caffeine and tannins, or contaminants, such as mycotoxins, can pose a safety concern, it is important to evaluate the long-term safety of coffee pulp products.”