Arabinose from arabinogalactan side chains was hypothesized as a possible binding site for chlorogenic acids in coffee melanoidins. To investigate this hypothesis, a mixture of 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), the most abundant chlorogenic acid in green coffee beans, and (α1 → 5)-L-arabinotriose, structurally related to arabinogalactan side chains, was submitted to dry thermal treatments. The compounds formed during thermal processing were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and characterized by tandem MS (ESI-MS(n)). Compounds composed by one or two CQAs covalently linked with pentose (Pent) residues (1-12) were identified, along with compounds bearing a sugar moiety but composed exclusively by the quinic or caffeic acid moiety of CQAs. The presence of isomers was demonstrated by liquid chromatography online coupled to ESI-MS and ESI-MS(n). Pent1-2CQA were identified in coffee samples. These results give evidence for a diversity of chlorogenic acid-arabinose hybrids formed during roasting, opening new perspectives for their identification in melanoidin structures.
Keywords: Arabinogalactans; Caffeoylquinic acid; Mass spectrometry; Polysaccharides; Roasting; Transglycosylation.
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