Franchise coffee shops now offer an increasingly diverse beverage portfolio with substantial variation in nutritional composition. However, cross-brand comparisons remain difficult because products are commonly organized according to proprietary menu names and marketing concepts rather than standardized nutritional attributes. This study developed and applied a standardized beverage classification framework based primarily on beverage ingredients and preparation characteristics to examine nutritional variation both within and across beverage categories. Nutritional information for 3586 beverages from 31 major franchise coffee brands was obtained from official websites. Beverages were systematically assigned to 10 standardized categories according to their ingredients and preparation methods. Serving size and per-serving contents of energy, total sugar, protein, saturated fat, sodium, and caffeine were analyzed and compared across beverage categories and between matched hot and iced products. All nutritional variables differed significantly among beverage categories (all p < 0.001). However, substantial within-category variability was also observed. For example, total sugar content among coffee beverages ranged from 13.0 g/serving at the 25th percentile to 48.0 g/serving at the 90th percentile. The findings demonstrate substantial nutritional variation both between and within standardized beverage categories, indicating that beverages sharing similar ingredient and preparation characteristics do not necessarily have similar nutritional profiles. The proposed framework provides a transparent and reproducible taxonomy for organizing heterogeneous beverage products across brands and may facilitate nutritional surveillance and comparative research.
Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa, black chokeberry) is characterized by a very high content of polyphenolic compounds and relatively low concentrations of fermentable sugars, which limits its direct consumption and fermentation. However, the high levels of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins present in aronia make this fruit attractive for the development of functional foods. One potential application is the production of grape must-based fermented beverages through the enrichment of white grape must with crushed aronia fruit. In this study, three experimental fermented beverages were produced by adding crushed aronia fruit at levels of 20%, 40% and 60% (w/w) to white grape must obtained from the Fetească regală variety. The objective of the study was to assess the sensory acceptability of these aronia-enriched fermented beverages. Sensory evaluation was performed using a quantitative profile method developed in our laboratory, complemented by the OIV score sheet commonly applied in wine competitions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were applied to the sensory data, and the results were visualized using radar plots and heatmaps. The results indicated that, although none of the samples achieved scores corresponding to high-quality wines, the fermented beverages containing 40–60% aronia fruit exhibited the highest overall acceptability, regardless of the yeast strain used. However, to avoid completely masking the grape aroma, the use of 40% aronia fruit is recommended. These findings suggest that high proportions of aronia fruit can be sensorially acceptable when incorporated into white grape must-based fermented beverages, supporting their potential for further development.
Ethanol is a major component of wine and spirits, contributing as a solvent and through its own odor, yet in olfactometry, it is usually treated as a passive background, its gas-phase concentration inferred from the liquid. A forced-evaporation olfactometer was developed to deliver gas-phase ethanol concentrations calculated by mass balance; electrochemical sensors verified its output up to about 1000 ppm (r2 = 0.9942). Two panels were used: a glass panel (n = 35) rated 11 ethanol solutions (0.5 to 50% v/v) and an olfactometer panel (n = 19) rated gas-phase ethanol; On a common gas-phase axis, four-parameter log-logistic fits gave ED50 values of 13,772 ppm (glass, calculated) and 1779 ppm (olfactometer, mass-balanced). Panel and modality are confounded, so this 7.7-fold separation cannot directly be assigned to the dilution at the nose, although its direction is consistent with such dilution. In addition, a 3 × 3 within-subject design crossed isoamyl acetate nominal concentrations with ethanol gas-phase concentration. Acetate ratings were highest at the intermediate and lowest at the highest ethanol level, with no significant dependence on acetate concentration; as ethanol level was confounded with presentation order, this pattern is exploratory.
EU beer markets are undergoing structural reconfiguration rather than uniform decline. Industry estimates indicate that beer consumption decreased from 320.2 million hectolitres in 2019 to 291.3 million in 2025, while Eurostat recorded an 11.1% increase in production of beer containing less than 0.5% alcohol in 2024. This integrative secondary data review examines evidence from official statistics, policy documents, industry sources, peer-reviewed research and reputable news reporting. The synthesis identifies concurrent demand, policy, channel and supply pressures, while avoiding causal claims that the available descriptive evidence cannot support. It also defines a small-scale transition penalty: the disproportionate burden placed on small breweries when entry into an expanding category requires fixed technological, safety and compliance investments. Craft breweries retain opportunities in disciplined premiumisation, moderation-compatible innovation, direct hospitality, tourism, place-based branding, circular production and cooperation. The proposed framework links structural drivers and market pressures to strategic responses and four contingent resilience outcomes: economic, portfolio, territorial and institutional. Craft brewery viability increasingly depends on creating greater value per litre and consumption occasion while aligning innovation with public health, environmental and local development objectives.
Introduction: The transition toward a circular bioeconomy has repositioned coffee industry side-streams as high-value reservoirs of functional ingredients. While the roasted bean is the primary commercial product, by-products such as coffee husk and pulp, coffee silverskin (CSS), and spent coffee grounds (SCGs) contain significant amounts of dietary fiber, polysaccharides, and melanoidins that escape upper gastrointestinal digestion. This narrative review critically evaluates these matrices as emerging substrates for gut health modulation, addressing the link between their chemical complexity and prebiotic-like effects. Methods: A narrative synthesis of published literature was developed around four domains: (i) chemical and functional composition; (ii) preclinical and clinical evidence of microbiota modulation; (iii) toxicological profiles and contaminant levels; and (iv) regulatory status within EU and US markets. Evidence was discussed qualitatively to identify translational opportunities and limitations. Discussion: The findings highlight that CSS, coffee husk and pulp, and SCGs converge within a common functional framework where insoluble fibers and “maillardized dietary fibers” (melanoidins) promote the growth of beneficial taxa, including Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. Specifically, SCG-derived galactomannans and CSS xylan-type structures trigger the biosynthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and reduce colonic pH. Safety assessments indicate that while these materials are susceptible to Ochratoxin A and thermal contaminants like acrylamide, concentrations typically remain within EU regulatory thresholds. However, a significant geographical asymmetry exists in regulation; while coffee husk and pulp is an authorized Novel Food in the EU, CSS and SCGs still face fragmentation and a lack of standardized human interventions. Conclusions: Coffee by-products represent a sustainable platform for the development of gut-health-oriented functional foods. To overcome the identified translational gap, this work proposes an illustrative framework for a future randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate gut-health outcomes. Achieving commercial scalability will depend on harmonizing regulatory pathways and ensuring consistent compositional control through advanced bioconversion strategies.
