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Coffee Consumption Habits and Microbiological Quality of Café Coffees in a University Campus
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Sevde Kahraman, Şevval Maral Özcan Aykol, Elif Aras , Esra Akbay, Zehra Çelik, Zeynep Sena Koçyiğit, Larasu Tuana Davşan
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Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2025 13 (11). doi: 10.12691/jfnr-13-11-1
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Keywords: coffee, campus food sevices, hygiene, microbial contamination, food safety
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Context: This study investigated coffee consumption habits of students at a health-themed university and evaluated the microbiological quality of campus café products. A two-phase design was employed. First, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 240 students to assess consumption frequency, type preferences, and perceptions of hygienic quality. Second, an experimental analysis was performed on six coffee types (latte, mocha, cold brew, caramel macchiato, iced latte, and americano), collected at 0, 45, and 90 minutes, to determine mesophilic bacterial and yeast counts with Gram staining of selected colonies. Survey results showed that 76.2% consumed Turkish coffee and 68.8% preferred latte, while 77.1% never consumed espresso. Turkish coffee was the most frequent choice, typically consumed once daily (22.9%) or 2-3 times daily (12.9%). Consumption habits were significantly associated with hygienic perceptions (p=0.037). Microbiological tests revealed rapid bacterial growth in mocha and cold brew, with mocha exhibiting the highest bacterial and yeast counts, whereas americano and iced latte showed no growth. Findings highlight increased microbial risks in milk- and sugar-containing coffees, emphasizing the need for hygiene controls, reduced holding times, and greater student awareness.
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