Study finds hot coffee has higher antioxidant level than cold brew

A Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) study on the health impacts of coffee brewing methods has found that hot brewed coffee has higher levels of antioxidants than cold brewed coffee. United States researchers say these antioxidants are responsible for some of the health benefits of coffee. “Coffee has a lot of antioxidants, if you drink it in moderation, research shows it can be pretty good for you,” says Megan Fuller, lead researcher and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at TJU. Fuller led the study with Niny Rao, Associate Professor of Chemistry at JTU. The researchers say they realised that despite cold brew’s growing popularity – the United States cold brew market grew 580 per cent from 2011 to 2016 – little scientific research had been carried out on the health benefits of the brewing method. At the same time, they say here is well-documented research that hot-brewed coffee has some measurable health benefits, including lower risk of some cancers, diabetes and depression. Fuller and Rao attribute hot coffee’s higher antioxidant levels to the brewing method’s higher level of titratable acids. The study, published on 30 October in Scientific Reports, also found that the pH levels of both hot and cold coffee were similar, ranging from 4.85 to 5.13 for all coffee samples tested.