​In the headlines these last few days there has been a scientific breakthrough on the ability to test a coffee’s type, whether that be Robusta or Arabica and the percentage of each type. (See attached article from Food Manufacture Magazine).
 
Until now it has been a difficult exercise to scientifically compare like for like coffees based on bean quality. Although laboratory testing can distinguish Robusta from Arabica coffees, it has been a lengthy, time consuming and expensive process. While there is a place in the market for both types of coffee, what is not acceptable or honest is to describe a coffee as 100% Arabica when, in fact, the blend contains a percentage of cheaper Robusta coffees.  ​

​The standard technique detects the fingerprint chemical 16-OMC, which is only found in Robusta coffee.The new method takes only 30 minutes and is sensitive enough to detect just 1% Robusta in a blended coffee, enabling simplified and inexpensive testing of the authenticity of coffees.

Lead scientist Dr Kate Kemsley, from the Quadram Institute, formerly known as the Institute of Food Research, said: "This is an important milestone for detecting fraud in coffee, as 1% is the generally accepted cut-off between trace contamination, which might be accidental, and more deliberate adulteration for economic gain."
 
Masteroast customers have always been confident that whatever blend has been agreed, that is exactly what they will receive. They can with confidence, reveal the blend composition and percentages of any of their products knowing that their blends will stand up to any scrutiny. These new testing facilities, however, may not only discover that some competitors’ products contain cheaper Robustas, contrary to the descriptions on their packaging, but may also explain how, at times, a competitor’s pricing for a “like for like” coffee offering appears to be unrealistically priced!