Before food legislation, expensive foods like coffee were adulterated by the addition of cheap materials. Coffee has been diluted with chicory root, acorns and chickpeas, to name but a few adulterants. Let's face it, by the time these materials are roasted and ground up, they look fairly similar to ground coffee!! Food scientists have developed sophisticated chemical techniques to identify such adulteration of coffee and other food products like wines and cheeses.
 

The chemical compound in coffee responsible for its stimulant effects has been widely studied in recent years by food scientists and doctors for both its good and bad properties.