Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world and now, an international consortium of scientists, with the participation of the University of Barcelona (Spain), has just sequenced its genome. This achievement will help both to improve the cultivation of coffee and to increase its unconditional aroma and flavor .
The coffee genome, with 25,574 genes , will offer data for the genetic improvement of the coffee plant: "If we have the genome, we can carry out targeted crosses that allow, for example, to obtain varieties that improve the taste of coffee -more less bitter- , aroma or resistance to pests ”, says Julio Rozas, co-author of the study.
In the course of the study, the researchers compared the coffee plant with others such as the vine or tomato , discovering that coffee showed a greater number of genes connected with the production of alkaloids, the compounds that provide qualities so appreciated in this drink as the aroma or bitterness of the grain.
To completely sequence its genome, the scientists used software called BadiRate , developed by the University of Barcelona , which makes it possible to know exactly which genes are recurrently duplicated in a specific genome.
The species sequenced has been "Coffea canephora" or robusta, a variety of coffee native to West Africa that represents 30% of world coffee production . The results of the study have been published in the journal Science .
