Caffeine is found naturally in more than 60 different plants and is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Its molecular structure makes it resist the attack of most bacteria. However, scientists at the University of Iowa have identified up to four bacteria that not only live in caffeine but can even break it down. One of them is a microorganism called Pseudomonas putida CBB5 that breaks down caffeine to form carbon dioxide and ammonia.
The proteins of this bacterium could be used to obtain components of drugs to treat asthma and fight cardiac arrhythmias from caffeine. They would also be useful to be used to process waste generated from tea and coffee, for example that generated by preparing decaffeinated coffee, which pollutes the environment. Once treated, the waste could be used to make biofuels, suggests Ryan Summers, a co-author of the study.
