How to Find out If Your Coffee Is a Fake #CitizenScience #science #DIY #coffee #foodie
I once had a friend warn me that a popular coffee brand was diluted with corn, which I found hard to believe. However, there is some truth to this as ground coffee can be cut with less than desirable ingredients. Luckily I’m a bean person, so if there’s anything in my grind, it’s only the occasional cinnamon or cocoa powder I add myself. However, it does raise the question—is there a test for coffee purity? Sean Boyce, lover of coffee and chemistry, recently posted a detailed experiment testing coffee in Vietnam on Hackaday. Part of his curiosity stems from a well known shop nicknamed “The Market of Death” that sells artificial coffee flavoring (among other bizarre faux ingredients). Eager to learn whether there was artificial flavoring in coffee from local vendors, he set up a simple test using Povidone Iodine (a common antiseptic).
A standard test mixture was prepared containing 1 ml of 10% povidone iodine, 200 ml water, and 5.0 grams tapioca starch. The amount of coffee (diluted 30:1) required to remove the blue color from the test mixture is used as an indication of coffee purity. A trusted coffee solution took 2.0 ml to change the color of 10 ml of test mixture.
Using that as a rough reference solution, Sean also created a test solution using faux coffee made with the artificial flavoring. Yes, it tasted bad, but more interesting was the fact it reacted differently.
It took about 10 ml to fully titrate compared to 2 ml for the reference sample that contained actual coffee.
With numbers in hand, the next step was to visit various coffee vendors to see how their brews stacked up. I don’t want to give away the results, so check Sean’s post for his fine citizen science work on coffee. Keep in mind his test is for a specific additive, which might not be the same as testing for corn. So, you might want to play it safe and invest in a grinder. I have to say that this is one of the most fun experiments I’ve seen and could be a good project for a STEM class. Great work, Sean— I’m inspired to take this to my next citsci conference.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: The latest on Raspberry Pi RP2350-E9, Bluetooth 6, 4,000 Stars and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
