The new report in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry by Maria-Paz de Pena and colleagues at the University of Navarra at Pamplona in Spain concludes that used coffee grounds are a rich source of healthful antioxidant substances sought after by both the food and pharmaceutical industry.
The scientists determined the amount of these useful bioactive compounds in spent coffee obtained from the preparation of coffee brews with filter, plunger and espresso-type coffeemakers common in homes and commercial kitchens. The compounds were analyzed by "high-performance liquid chromatography".