On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:56:24 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> "modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote:
>
>> Even if you put nothing else in it:
>>
>> http://www.wired.com/science/discove...7-10/st_coffee
>>
>> Quote of note: "Putrescine: Ever wonder what makes spoiled meat so
>> poisonous? Here you go. Ptomaines like putrescine are produced when E.
>> coli bacteria in the meat break down amino acids. Naturally present in
>> coffee beans, it smells, as you might guess from the name, like
>> Satan's outhouse."
>
> Is it used up in the roasting though? I know that coffee beans raw
>stink to the lowest depths of Hades, but when they are roasted their
>fragrance rises up to heaven to bless the altar of the Lord. Is the
>putrescine simply covered up in the roasting process or is it used up in
>the chemical reaction of burning?
>
I believe the list of chemicals in the Wired story is from brewed
coffee. I read somewhere that nasty smelling stuff in tiny amounts can
benefit an overall aroma/flavor profile. Think nuoc mam.
--

modom