Ginseng coffee may contain problematic additives, as well as saturated fats and sugars in significant doses. However, an overview of the offer on the shelf shows that alongside many less desirable products there is often a more than acceptable alternative. We examined the labels of 20 products, divided between soluble powders and capsules. (1)
Ingredients, the typical recipe
The typical recipe of ginseng coffees contains (in varying order)
– sugar
– glucose syrup
– skimmed milk powder
– instant coffee
– coconut fat or oil
– aromas, synthetic in 15 out of 20 products
– ginseng extract powder.
Full of additives
In almost all cases there are also mixes of additives, sometimes not very recommended. Three require particular attention:
– phosphates
– silicon dioxide
– mono and diglycerides of fatty acids.
The following chart summarizes their names, CE acronyms and the reasons for avoiding them (also because they are contained in many other industrial products and their overall contribution must be taken into account).
Nutritional profile
The intake of sugars and saturated fats deserves attention, especially if the consumption of ‘ginseng coffee’ is frequent.
Instant ginseng coffee
The seven products selected solubles are actually ‘coffee and ginseng flavored drink preparations’. In fact, the concentration of the two characterizing ingredients is quite low.
– coffee (soluble) is present in a percentage varying between 11,5 and 18,
– ginseng varies between 0,4% and 0,8%.
The structure of the drink is therefore not the homeopathic dose of ginseng but a ‘powder’ of fats and sugars.
The economical and ‘full-bodied’ coconut fat – always present – is made up of 91,94% saturated fatty acids. (2)
Concentration of saturated fat in the seven instant ginseng coffees, accordingly, ranges from 4,2% to 18%.
Sugars in products ‘to be sweetened’ vary from 25% to 31%, mainly due to the presence of glucose syrup. In the ‘classic’ ones, i.e. with sugar in first place in the list of ingredients, a share equal to at least half of the powder is reached: from 50% to 57%.
The additives are not missing. Phosphates are always present, in one case even together with emulsifiers. An exception is Nescafé Gold Ginseng, which has no problematic additives.
Baby barley, unsuitable for children
Among the 20 products championships we have included an extra product, as it does not contain coffee. These are baby barley, barley and ginseng, in capsules compatible with Nespresso machines.
The exception it is useful to remember that the words included in trademarks do not necessarily reflect the identity of the product. It would otherwise be alarming to find in a food dedicated to children
- three additives to avoid in your baby’s diet: silicon dioxide, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids and phosphates,
- 19% saturated fat
- 41% sugars.
Nespresso compatible capsules
The six capsules of coffee and ginseng compatible with Nespresso machines have a very low coffee concentration, from 11 to 20%. With the exception of only the Nespresso branded capsules, where coffee represents 96% of the powder to which 0,4% ginseng is added, without suspicious additives.
Zero additives also problematic in Foodness capsules. Here, however, we find three sweeteners: erythritol, steviol glycosides and maltitol. The latter, at the top of the list of ingredients, serves to give body to the mixture, but forces us to warn that the product can have laxative effects. (3)
The rest of the sample, as the table shows, does not save on dodgy additives.
In three cases, about half of the powder is made up of sugars: Cellini, King Cup with cane sugar (identical to white sugar, as we have seen) and Ristora, which reaches the threshold of 66%. (4)
Black palm for saturated fats in King Cup to be sweetened: 27,6%. In both capsules of this operator, however, there is hydrogenated coconut fat.
Coffee and ginseng for Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines
The five capsules compatible with the Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines examined here always contain one or more problematic additives.
The coffee varies in recipe from 12,5% to 19,4% of the ‘original’ Dolce Gusto capsules. The qualitative difference is striking both with the competitor of Nespresso capsules and with the soluble versions of Nescafé itself: coffee and ginseng, which we have just reported, but also decaffeinated coffee, the subject of a previous market survey. (5)
Ginseng varies from 0,2% to 0,10%.
Sugars are present to a significant extent. In the three products ‘to be sweetened’ it varies from 25% of Consilia (which suggests sweetening to taste only on the back of the package) to 42% of Eurospin, which proposes its Jerez as ‘to be sweetened’.
The maximum peak is 54% of sugars present in the Rafael capsule by Todis.
Saturated fats vary significantly, from 7,4% to 18%
‘A modo mio’, Lavazza capsules
Lavazza, with the coffee and ginseng capsules suitable for ‘A modo mio’ machines, chooses not to aim for excellence:
- sugars for 69% of the powder
- 8,4% saturated fat
- coffee 12%
- ginseng 0,3%.
Two problematic additives to complete the recipe.
How to improve recipes
Examination of labels it could encourage a more conscious purchase on the impact of additives, sugar and saturated fats.
The 139 products, especially ground coffee, even in capsules, or soluble, which highlight the presence of ginseng on the label are worth a turnover of over 32 million euros, growing by +15,5% in 2023. (6)
Leave on the shelf unwelcome products could help operators who are ‘not very attentive’ to the healthiness of the recipe to rediscover the pride of producing quality food.
Marta Strinati
Footnotes
(1) Sampling conducted on 4-6 July 2024 on e-commerce platforms and physical stores in Rome (Italy)
(2) Food composition tables. Coconut oil. CREATE https://www.alimentinutrizione.it/tabelle-nutrizionali/009620
(3) Marta Strinati. Sorbitol and other polyols, the bulk sweeteners. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(4) White or brown sugar. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(5) Marta Strinati. Decaffeinated coffee with or without chemical solvents. 20 compared. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
(6) Marta Strinati. Food consumption in Italy in the Osservatorio Immagino 15th edition. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade).
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
