If you prefer your genetic research to be rich, bold, flavourful, steaming hot and with a bit of a kick, try a mug full of this: scientists have deciphered the coffee genome and found genetic secrets that may make your cup of coffee even better in the future.

An international team of researchers unveiled the newly sequenced genome of the coffee plant. They pinpointed genetic attributes that could help in the development of new coffee varieties better able to endure drought, disease and pests, with the added benefit of enhancing flavour and caffeine levels.

The researchers studied the species Coffea canephora, better known as Robusta. It accounts for about 30 per cent of the world’s coffee production and is common in instant coffee. It is second in importance to Arabica, generally known for a less strong, smoother taste. Separate work is under way on Arabica’s genome.

Along with the beverage’s distinctive flavour and aroma, caffeine undoubtedly is a big part of its appeal. The researchers said their study, published in the journal Science, found, not surprisingly, that the coffee plant boasted a broad collection of enzymes involved in the production of caffeine.

They also concluded that the coffee plant’s caffeine enzymes evolved independently from those in cacao (chocolate) and tea.

Coffee is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities

Compared with other plants the scientists examined, coffee possessed larger families of genes related to making alkaloid and flavonoid compounds that contribute to the aroma and bitterness of beans.

“For any agricultural plant, having a genome is a prerequisite for any sort of high-technology breeding or molecular modification,” said plant genomist Victor Albert of the University at Buffalo, one of the researchers.

“Without a genome, we couldn’t do any real advanced research on coffee that would allow us to improve it – not in this day and age,” Albert added.

Coffee is one of the world’s most valuable agricultural commodities. With an estimated 2.25 billion cups consumed every day worldwide, more than 8.7 million tons of coffee were produced last year. Production and export are a multibillion-dollar enterprise, employing millions of people in more than 50 countries. A tropical and subtropical crop, it is vital to the economies of many developing countries.

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