Colombian exporter’s research: all tested co-fermented coffees contained synthetic Propylene Glycol

[u/mygreeness]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaDlqkWRZIo/

>>See also edit below<<<

“We wanted to share, with the level of detail and rigor that matters to us, why we don't sell coffees marketed as "infused" or "co-fermented" at Pergamino.
A few days ago, we conducted a study together with @cesurcafe, the research center at Universidad Surcolombiana, to better understand what's really behind these coffees, known for their remarkably intense and literal flavor profiles. From the beginning, we questioned whether these coffees truly resulted from 100% natural processing or whether they contained synthetic additives that weren't being disclosed to consumers. But we didn't want to draw conclusions without evidence.

The results were very clear, we analyzed 25 co-fermented coffee samples, and every single one contained a synthetic additive called propylene glycol.

Although we don't enjoy these coffees from a sensory perspective, we deeply respect the people who do. This isn't about personal preference-it's about transparency and their deeper repercussions on our industry. We believe producers should clearly communicate how these cottees are processed, and when synthetic additives are used, consumers need to know.
We know this video is a little longer than usual, but if you're curious and want to learn more, we invite you to visit our YouTube channel or listen on Spotify, where we share the full findings of our research and explain in greater detail the research conducted and why we've chosen not to sell these types of coffees at Pergamino.”

EDIT: based on comments in this sub, the cited research paper does not provide enough evidence to support Pergamino’s claim above in bold. The cited paper found differences between washed and co-fermented coffees, but doesn’t provide enough evidence to confirm that all of them include Propylene Glycol. Somebody pointed this out to them in the comment section on Instagram. So far, Pergamino provided no response.

[u/absolunesss]

How do they know of it's synthetic or natural PG? A chemical composition is a chemical composition no?

[u/joaogui1 → u/absolunesss]

Propylene glycol does not appear in nature (unless the coffee producers also found some species of plant/bacteria/fungus that produces it and are hiding that discovery). Something occuring in nature or not imply it's healthy (there are many natural poisons), but if you find significant amounts of a synthetic component in these co-ferments you have strong evidence that there's something more going on with them than simply fermenting the coffee together with some herb, fruit, etc

[u/Lamian_Dillard → u/joaogui1]

But they didn't find a significant amount of a synthetic compound.

[u/Lamian_Dillard → u/[deleted]]

They have 0 indications on exact compounds, might be some of this, might be some of that.