Scientists identify genes for perfect coffee beans

By Chris Mercer

19/01/2007 - Scientists from Brazil and France have moved a step closer to creating the perfect cup of coffee after identifying key genes that can affect flavour in the beans.

The team, from CIRAD in France and Brazil's Agricultural Institute of Paraná, says it has pin-pointed the genes responsible for sucrose accumulation in coffee beans.

Sucrose is thought to play a vital role in the taste of coffee by releasing flavour and aroma during roasting.

The discovery, which is the result of five years' research, may pave the way for higher quality coffee, potentially widening the added value sector of the coffee market and so improving earnings in the supply chain.

One enzyme, sucrose synthetase, is responsible for sucrose accumulation in arabica coffee beans, the team found. The enzyme exists in the form of two different proteins and is coded within two different genes.

Further testing found that the first gene controlled sucralose accumulation in coffee beans during ripening and picking, while the second was involved in sucrose breakdown during the roasting process.

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