Can Science Finally Create a Decent Cup of Decaf?

upstart writes:

Can Science Finally Create a Decent Cup of Decaf?:

Who cares about decaf coffee? I do. I'm a slow caffeine metabolizer, like many millions of others. We folks with a particular type of CYP1A2 gene may adore a perfectly pressed single-origin Arabica but cannot drink a fully caffeinated cup without the caffeine accumulating too quickly, making our hearts beat like bass drums and our brains feel momentarily vaporized. [...] But now there's a chance for us, the metabolically mismatched. A whole new kind of coffee may be on the horizon.

[...] "We begin our time today with a coffee that has faced an extinction of its own: Eugenioides," she said into a light pink jawbone microphone. She went on to explain that the Coffea Eugenioides plant, the genetic parent to Coffea Arabica, was almost extinct until recently. Arabica is the earthy, full-bodied, chocolatey coffee that most of the world finds delectable. Eugenioides is a bit different-still strong, but with hints of citrus fruit and marshmallow. The kicker: Eugenioides has half the caffeine.

Although Eugenioides helped Eckroth win second place, it's unlikely we mortals will ever enjoy its pleasantly light buzz. It's tough to grow. Even in the lush soil of Inmaculada Farms in Colombia, where Eckroth's coffee was sourced, it struggles along. But Eugenioides might offer another path toward a quaffable coffee we can all enjoy. Now, Eugenioides is giving scientists clues about how to make a more metabolically friendly Arabica, to tweak the way it makes caffeine, and create a half-caff or decaf plant in the laboratory with the same full flavor of the ones found in nature.

[...] In 2021, Schaart and one of his students, Nils Leibrock, became particularly interested in coffee and using the CRISPR system to quiet the caffeine-making pathway inside Coffea Arabica. "When it comes to the genetics, it seems quite easy," Schaart says. "And coffee will taste much better because you don't need a chemical process to get rid of caffeine in the coffee beans."

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