The present invention concerns compositions and methods relating to the addition and use of par-baked and milled coffee beans in food products, beverages, and dietary supplements. Par-baked and milled coffee beans are a novel alternative to more costly chlorogenic acid extracts, and are edible and palatable as a food ingredient. The ingredient is prepared from the entire Coffea robusta or arabica green coffee bean and provides substantially increased amounts of dietary chlorogenic acid antioxidants compared to roasted beans. When the green coffee bean is appropriately par-baked at a temperature significantly lower than coffee roasting temperatures, the bean retains significant moisture, yet becomes embrittled, enabling milling to produce fine and beneficially hydrophilic particles, without any significant loss of bioactive chlorogenic acid and without significant pyrolysis occurring. As described herein, the par-baked coffee bean is superior to both the green coffee bean and the traditionally roasted coffee bean for adding chlorogenic acids to foods, beverages and dietary supplements.
