Coffee enthusiasts in the country may soon be able to experience a cup of unadulterated coffee extracted from a specific variety through a study conducted by Cavite State University.
Through the identification of polymorphic inter-simple sequence repeats markers, the CvSU was able to reveal the DNA fingerprints and genetic diversity of 16 coffee varieties registered with the National Seed Industry Council in the country.
The result of the study will help in determining the authenticity of the coffee seedlings sold by nursery owners and in the certification of planting mother trees.
Likewise, it will help in the reduction of fraud in the selling of Liberica seedlings following its popularity in the country and even in other countries as well.
This development came after Dr. Miriam D. Baltazar, Associate Professor V and Arleen Calipjo-Panaligan, Instructor of the Department of Biological Sciences of CvSU led the project dubbed "DNA Fingerprinting of Philippine Coffee (Coffea spp.)" which was funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology.
Challenge of coffee identification
According to the DoST-PCAARRD, the identification of coffee varieties is usually done through morphology-based characterization or biochemical analysis.
Morphology-based characterization involves examining the leaf structure and the structure of the plant, among others.
However, this method would require an expert in identifying plants and requires a lot of time due to the needed comprehensive taxonomic examination of the plant.
Meanwhile, biochemical analysis can test compounds including isozymes, caffeine, chlorogenic acid, sucrose, oils and trigonelline contents.
Although fast, there are limited biochemical markers and the results may be affected by the extraction technique, plant tissues, and plant stage.
Molecular techniques, in this case, the use of a DNA-based molecular technique known as ISSR, which can be used to identify or authenticate plant materials throughout its life stage.
Following the analysis of the 16 NSIC-registered coffee varieties, a total of seven polymorphic ISSR markers were identified from 29 primers screened.
Findings of the study disclosed that Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora had relatively low genetic diversity, which means that varieties under these two coffee types do not have much difference from each other in terms of genes.
Addressing industry challenges
The cup quality depends on the precise identification of the coffee variety ideally at the seedling stage.
The choice of coffee variety would depend on customer preferences, such as the preference for rich aroma and quality of C. Arabica, the strong flavor of C. Liberica, and the higher caffeine content of C. Canephora.
With C. Canephora's lower market value, it is usually used to adulterate C. Arabica. Intentional and unintentional adulteration also happens at the seedling stage.
With the results of this study, the government or any regulating agency can now monitor the authenticity of coffee beans and roasted coffee beans sold in the market.
The Bureau of Plant Industry can likewise determine the authenticity of coffee seedlings sold by nursery owners, help in the certification of plant mother trees, and approval of other coffee varieties for registration with NSIC.
The project, which is an entry under the Research Category, was recently presented during the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development.
NSAARRD, annually spearheaded by the DoST -PCAARRD, recognizes outstanding contributions in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources sector in the country.