A Brazilian team has discovered a naturally caffeine-free coffee plant growing wild in Ethiopia, The team says they discovered three arabica coffee plants that do not produce caffeine in their leaves or beans among a batch of 6,000 wild samples originally collected in the late 1980s.
The scientists believe the wild plants could be cultivated to produce their own caffeine-free beans, or could be cross-bred with other varieties of arabica coffee to introduce the natural caffeine-free trait into commercial crops.
The three decaffeinated coffee plants do not look any different from other arabica plants but chemical analysis reveals that the wild plants have a caffeine content of 0.06 per cent, which compares with a content of about 2 per cent in roasted coffee beans of ordinary plants and 0.03 per cent in processed decaffeinated coffee.
It is possible that the wild caffeine-free plants carry a genetic mutation that interferes with a natural enzyme called caffeine synthase, which is involved in producing caffeine. The Brazilian team hopes to begin a cross-breeding programme between the wild arabica plant and local commercial varieties to produce a hybrid which gives a good crop of decaffeinated beans.
About 10 percent of coffee consumed in the world is processed to remove caffeine, a natural chemical linked with heart palpitations, raised blood pressure, and anxiety. But the decaffeination process also removes organic compounds that can affect coffee's taste and aroma.
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