DNA map to help brew better coffee
Brazil says it has created the first complete map of the genetic structure
of the coffee plant and its Agriculture Minister says the country will now
work to develop a "super coffee".
Brazil has mapped coffee's DNA in a bid to cut production costs and create
beans that cater to the rich tastes of US and European consumers.
After more than two years of work, the world's biggest coffee grower is
using the DNA map to create a genetic database on the plant.
The database contains information on the 200,000 DNA sequences and 35,000
genes that create different aromas and caffeine levels in the tropical
bean.
Brazil is known for mass-market "junk" coffee.
However, it hopes to use the data to raise production of gourmet, organic
and new caffeine-free beans within two years.
It also plans to cut coffee prices in Brazil, the world's second-largest
coffee consumer.
"We are going to create a super coffee that everyone can benefit from
eventually," Brazilian Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues said.
Production to double
Experts say new genetically engineered plants could double coffee
production
per hectare, allowing Brazil to cut production costs by 20 per cent.
Six Brazilian public institutions will have initial access to the genome
database. They will apply the findings to national coffee production.
Clayton Campanhola, head of Brazilian agricultural research agency
EmbrapaIn, says in about five or six years, the DNA database will be open
to
Brazil's private sector.
It may also be opened to foreign companies, on payment of royalties for
patented information.
"This is going to redirect our production toward quality," Mr Campanhola
said.
Brazil hopes to create high-quality coffee trees that are more resistant
to
diseases and pests and can have a productive life of 30 years, instead of
the current 15 years.
While the project will create new varieties of coffee plants through
cross-pollination and other measures, it will not create genetically
modified plants. Brazil has benned the planting and sale of GMO crops and
foods.
New genetically resistant plants could double coffee production per
hectare
from 15 sacks to 30 sacks.
This would allow Brazil to cut production costs by 20 per cent and raise
national production to 60 million sacks without expanding its growing
area.
Researchers also see cost savings of between 50 and 100 per cent on the
money Brazilian producers spend on chemical herbicides and pesticides that
cause serious pollution problems.
-- Reuters
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