Brazilianscientistsidentifyimportantchemical
compoundsthatgowaybeyondthekernelto
determinetheflavorandaromaofcoffee
E
verybody knows that the interac-
tion of different chemical com-
pounds determines the flavor of
coffee. The way some of these
elements act, the circumstanc-
es and the parts of the plant that inter-
fere in the production of these compounds
are still fields undergoing research. Brazil-
ian scientists are responsible for a relevant
step forward in the development of a study
that indicates the course that could lead
to a genetic map and to the evolution of
knowledge in this area.
Researchers from the Agronomic Insti-
tute in Paraná (Iapar), jointly with the State
Universities in Londrina (UEL), Oeste Paulis-
ta (Unoeste) and Estadual Paulista (Unesp),
Rio Claro campus, besides the Brazilian Ag-
ricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
and the International Cooperation Center in
Agricultural Research (Cirad), in France, de-
cided to solve the mystery: they measured
the concentrations of kahweol and cafestol
in the leaves, flowers and fruit of a variety of
Arabica coffee. The results were published
in the well-known newsletter Plant Physiol-
ogy and Biochemistry andwere highlighted
by the equally important Science.
“The research gave origin to an un-
precedented quantification of com-
pounds with a direct relation with the aro-
ma and flavor of coffee in other organs of
the plant, not only in the bean”, explains
Douglas Domingues, one of the authors of
the study and professor at Unesp, in Rio
Claro (SP). With the indication of which
organs of the coffee plant can produce
them, the researchers will compare the
production in different varieties of Arabica
coffee so as to identify the genes responsi-
ble for their production.
Kahweol and cafestol are lipids and are
part of a class of chemical compounds called
terpenoids,thatimpartamintflavorandaro-
ma of sandalwood, for example. The sub-
stances bear antioxidant properties and are
producedbydifferent parts of theplant to re-
pel carnivorous insects or attract pollinators.
The
parts
andthewhole
Sílvio Ávila
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