Coffee Grounds’ Surprise Potential: Antioxidant Effect Nears That of Vitamin C

Coffee grounds, long treated as waste, may offer a useful material for medical and biotechnology research, according to a study by South Korean researchers.

The team examined carbon dots, nanoparticles made of carbon, extracted from coffee grounds and spinach. Researchers compared their properties, including their effects on cells.

Carbon dots have drawn interest for biomedical applications because they are considered highly biocompatible. The study found that carbon dots made from coffee grounds had stronger antioxidant effects than those made from spinach.

At the highest concentration, the coffee-ground carbon dots showed 64.39% antioxidant activity. That was close to the 69.15% recorded for vitamin C, a widely known antioxidant.

The research team included Kim Chi-kyung, a neurology professor at Korea University Guro Hospital, Du Hyeon-myeong, a research professor at the hospital’s biomedical research center, and Choi Jong-seop of Kongju University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The researchers also reported that the material reduced reactive oxygen species inside cells and could promote the growth and differentiation of nervous-system cells.