title: Improvement of vegetables elemental quality by espresso coffee residues.
abstract: Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are usually disposed as common garbage, without specific reuse strategies implemented so far. Due to its recognised richness in bioactive compounds, the effect of SCG on lettuce's macro- and micro-elements was assessed to define its effectiveness for agro industrial reuse. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with different amounts of fresh and composted spent coffee, and potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, sodium, iron, manganese, zinc and copper were analysed. A progressive decrease on all lettuce mineral elements was verified with the increase of fresh spent coffee, except for potassium. In opposition, an increment of lettuce's essential macro-elements was verified when low amounts of composted spent coffee were applied (5%, v/v), increasing potassium content by 40%, manganese by 30%, magnesium by 20%, and sodium by 10%, of nutritional relevance This practical approach offers an alternative reuse for this by-product, extendable to other crops, providing value-added vegetable products.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Bromatologia e Hidrologia, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Eulália
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casal
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D003069:Coffee / Q000737:chemistry*; D059027:Recycling; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee; D014131:Trace Elements; D014866:Waste Products
keywords: Coffee by-products; Composting; Lettuce; Macro-elements; Micro-elements; Minerals