Genome research means zero-caffeine coffee bean could soon grow in Queensland

September 15, 2014 Sophie Langley

Genome research means zero-caffeine coffee bean could soon grow in Queensland

It will soon be possible to grow premium-quality caffeine-free coffee, tea and cocoa, thanks to research from the University of Queensland.

The University of Queensland researchers said the developments will offer the 12 per cent of coffee drinkers who choose decaf access to a pure, less-processed product with all the full-bodied flavour of the real thing.

Professor Robert Henry, at UQs Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), said this was one outcome of an international research effort analysing the coffee genome.

It should soon be possible to select and grow coffee with a pre-determined level of caffeine ranging from zero-caf to jumpstart, Professor Henry said. Helping Queensland producers to grow export-quality coffee destined for high-value niche markets is our ultimate goal, he said.

Professor Henry said genome sequencing of the coffee plant Coffea canephora confirmed that caffeine had developed independently in various plants. Professor Henry contributed much of the DNA sequence data used in assembling the coffee genome.

Coffee, cacao (the source of cocoa and chocolate) and tea appear to share an ability to produce caffeine in their leaves, shoots or stems, Professor Henry said.

Although such plants are not closely related, they all synthesise caffeine, Professor Henry said. It seems that during their evolution, each plant independently developed the ability to make caffeine, he said.

Professor Henry said the researchers thought caffeine offered plants several advantages, including insecticidal properties and an inhibitory function that prevents seed germination in competing species.

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Genome research means zero-caffeine coffee bean could soon grow in Queensland