How conventional breeding techniques may lead to a naturally decaffeinated cofee bean

摘要

In Nature for 24 June a group of biochemists from Brazil describe a method of producing a decaffeinated beverage without having to proces a harvested crop of coffee gron in the usual fashion.They point out that,as a result of discovering the adverse effect of caffeine experienced by some coffee drinkers,the market for artificially decaffeinated beverage has risen worldwide until it comprises some 10 per cent of the total demand,despite the admitted loss of important flavouring constituents during industiral pocessing.