Do you know how old your coffee is? New genetic study reveals the origin of the world’s most popular coffee. Society © Rawpixel.com/stock.adobe.com Europeans are one of the biggest groups of consumers of coffee in the world, representing around one third of global coffee consumption. The EU has one of the highest average annual per capita coffee consumption rates, accounting for 5 kg of coffee per person per year. That’s a lot of beans in our daily cups of coffee! And these beans are very old, much older than you think. Wake up and smell the coffee According to research published in the journal ‘Nature Genetics’, Arabica coffee beans can be traced back more than half a million years. Arabica makes up most of the world’s coffee production, accounting for up to 70 % of the global market. Its beans are exclusively brewed by major coffeehouse chains. “Arabica is one of the world’s premier commodity crops, taking up a large part of the agricultural economies of countries in which it is grown,” co-corresponding author Victor Albert, plant evolutionary biologist at the University at Buffalo in New York, told ‘Reuters’. “It’s an important part of local small stakeholder subsistence, not just farmed and exploited by major companies. Coffee is a rich source of antioxidants, and of course, caffeine - which helps keep me and the rest of the world awake.” “Coffee and humankind are closely related throughout history,” added co-corresponding author Patrick Descombes, lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. “In many producing countries, the Arabica coffee represents more than a crop, it is part of the culture and tradition.” Arabica’s past and present A research team from the University at Buffalo used genes from coffee bushes around the world to create a family tree of the Arabica species. Findings showed that the species began to appear 600 000 years ago in the forests of Ethiopia as a result of a natural cross between two other coffee species. To explore coffee’s history, the researchers analysed the genomes of Robusta – the second-most popular coffee species – and 30 other Arabica plants. “We’ve used genomic information in plants alive today to go back in time and paint the most accurate picture possible of Arabica’s long history, as well as determine how modern cultivated varieties are related to each other,” explained Dr Albert in a University at Buffalo news release. Arabica is more susceptible to pests and diseases. As a result, it can only be cultivated in certain regions where conditions are favourable. Dr Albert emphasised the need to safeguard the crop. “A detailed understanding of the origins and breeding history of contemporary varieties are crucial to developing new Arabica cultivars better adapted to climate change.” Keeping these coffee plants healthy will ensure we keep our coffee cups full for many mornings to come. Keywords coffee, Arabica, bean, coffee bean, caffeine, crop
