To read the paper in the journal Science, click here. An accompanying essay calls caffeine “the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world.”
A group of scientists says it has sequenced the coffee genome, reports the Washington Post, opening the door to breeding disease-resistant coffee plants, naturally decaffeinated coffee “and even genetic engineering.” The consortium says their genetic map, when compared to chocolate, show the plants followed separate paths to producing caffeine, which suggests it is a valuable trait. The project worked on robusta coffee, which accounts for one-third of the world’s coffee and yields a strong-tasting, high-caffeine bean. Some of the scientists now are sequencing arabica coffee, grown at higher elevations and prized for its range of softer, sweeter flavors.
To read the paper in the journal Science, click here. An accompanying essay calls caffeine “the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world.”