title: Identification and occurrence of the bioactive beta-carbolines norharman and harman in coffee brews.
abstract: Norharman and harman, two heterocyclic beta-carboline alkaloids with biological activity, were found in brewed coffee. Identification and analysis were carried out by HPLC-MS and RP-HPLC-fluorescence, respectively. All tested samples of brewed coffee including ground coffee, decaffeinated coffee, instant coffee and espresso contained both norharman and harman in variable amounts. Norharman was the major beta-carboline alkaloid in brewed coffee at levels up to 9.34 microg g(-1) in instant ground coffee compared with harman, which had levels up to 1.67 microg g(-1). The two beta-carbolines appeared to be formed during roasting of the coffee beans. It is concluded that drinking coffee is a major exogenous dietary source of these bioactive beta-carboline alkaloids previously reported as mild psychoactive compounds in animal studies and in vitro co-mutagens. These results support our previous conclusion that foods containing beta-carbolines are an important exogenous source of these alkaloids in humans.
authors.affiliation: Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Instituto de Fermentaciones Industriales, CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, E-28006 Madrid, Spain. therraiz@ifi.csic.es
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Herraiz
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis*; D002243:Carbolines / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003069:Coffee / Q000737:chemistry*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D006247:Harmine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D002243:Carbolines; D003069:Coffee; D006247:Harmine; C005010:harman; C010262:norharman