While the rest of the world consumes around 75% of the Arabica variety and 25% of Robusta, consumption in Spain is reversed: 36% of the Arabica variety compared to 64% of the Robusta variety. This decrease in Arabica imports is due to market pressure, which is detrimental to the quality of the coffees consumed. ?? However, the number of coffees that are advertised as “Pure Arabica” is high. Theadulteration of high quality pure Arabica coffee with other lower quality species (Robusta) or with substitutes such as chicory or roasted maltEven in very small quantities, it is of great importance for the sector, as well as for the final consumer, so its detection is of great interest.
The pioneering method is based on molecular biology techniques and allows detecting the presence of up to 2% of Robusta coffee in Arabica, both in green and roasted coffee. The technology center has developed the authentication methodanalyzing the genome of the two coffee speciesto identify the genetic characteristics that differentiate them. “We can discover if there are genetic characteristics of Robusta within a batch of coffee that is supposed to be 100% Arabica,” explains Miguel Ángel Pardo, head of the AZTI-Tecnalia molecular biology laboratory and coordinator of the project.
The Arabica variety is native to Ethiopia and Yemen and is the oldest in agriculture, dating back to the end of the first millennium in the Arabian peninsula. It comprises a large number of varieties (typica, bourbon, java, creole …) and its cultivation is carried out in plantations located between 800 and 2000 meters of altitude. Round caffeine levels of 1% to 1.5% and even lower, which is a substantial difference with Robusta, with levels of 3% or higher. Bottom line: the Arabica variety has up to three times less caffeine than the Robusta.
