Coffee: Plants & the Function of Caffeine

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4 years ago (Last updated: 3 years ago)

(Given the attention my article about coffee generated, I decided to continue on that theme and make it a series, of which this is article no. 2 of 4.)

Arabica & Robusta

The coffee fruits, which are actually berries, come from one of two main branches of the coffee plant, Arabica or Robusta. Most ordinary coffee is from Arabica, which is cultivated in, for example, Latin America and East Africa. Robusta, which was found wild in Congo as late as in 1898, by Emil Laurent, is cheaper and not as sensitive to climate as Arabica. It is also "rougher" and more bitter in the taste. It is grown mainly in Indonesia, Vietnam and Africa.

Depending on where it is grown, the taste of coffee differs. There are different beans, such as: Santos and Bahia, from Brazil; Bogotá and Medellin, from Colombia; Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi; from Indonesia; Mysore, Monsooned Malabar; from India; Bugisu, from Uganda; and many others. Of course the types of grinding and roasting are essential for the taste too.

Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee, and it comes from Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java in Indonesia.

Luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), belonging to the sibet family, treasures the coffee berry as food. In the digestive system of the luwak, the berries are partly digested before coming out again - with the faeces! Then they are picked and lightly roasted, and used for coffee.

Digestive fermentation might add something to the flavour of the coffee, but the details are only marginally studied.

A similar coffee is produced in other countries in South East Asia.

Caffeine

Caffeine is an analeptic, which means that it stimulates the central nervous system. Chemically it is a xanthine, a crystalline alkaloid. In 1819, it was discovered by Friedrich Ferdinand Runge (1795-1867), a German chemist. An interesting detail is that it was Goethe who suggested he should analyse coffee. This happened after Runge's success in defining the toxic effects of belladonna on the eyes. [The pupils remain large and dilated even in light, a condition which is called "mydriasis".]

One of nature's richest sources of caffeine is coffee, but in smaller quantities it can be found in many other plants or parts of plants; tea is the most known, where its main function appears to be to act as an insecticide, a killer of insects otherwise harming the plant, and a fungicide, a killer of microscopic fungi.

Is caffeine intoxication possible? Yes, of course. Not only because it is a drug, but because one can be intoxicated by everything if the amount is just large enough. Even water intoxication kills a number of people each year. Caffeine can, however, overstimulate the nervous system. Where to lay the borderline between stimulation and overstimulation is not all that clear, but if the effects are so strong that they are physically, socially, emotionally, or intellectually impairing, then it is to classify as intoxication

In very high doses, caffeine can disturb heart and respiration to a degree which can be deadly. Deaths have been reported on a level of approximately 10g. That, however, is nothing you get from drinking coffee, unless you gulp down 60-70 or more cups in a few minutes. It should be noted, however, that if taking caffeine in form of pills, the critical dose can be lower.

The caffeine content of coffee beans varies with different types of beans, with roasting, and a host of other factors. Generally, Robusta contains more caffeine than Arabica; and roasting destroys caffeine, so in a way it is less in dark roast coffee than in light. But the latter statement can be misleading, since both water loss and swelling confuse the comparison. Beans gain in volume but lose in weight during the roasting process. In the end it is less caffeine in dark roast if you measure by volume, but more if you measure by weight. That is, if all other parameters remain the same.

Robusta is by far more resistant to disease than Arabica is, which might be explained by its higher caffeine content, and the caffeine's anti-fungal properties.

My Series about Coffee:

1. What Coffee does to You

2. Coffee: Plants & the Function of Caffeine

3. History of Coffee

4. Do You Drink Much Coffee? I Bet You Can't Beat These Enthusiasts!

Copyright © 2020 Meleonymica/Mictorrani. All Rights Reserved.

Here you find all my articles about Coffee.

You find all my writings on Read.Cash, sorted by topic, here.


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4 years ago (Last updated: 3 years ago)

Comments

Very interesting and well written post :) Keep up with very interesting articles :D If you want to learn something new about cryptocurrency come on my blog man ! God bless you !

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4 years ago

Coffee.its a magic for body bacause it helps to do some amazing functions that aid the body in many wahs.but it should be take in limited quantity.good job

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4 years ago

As for everything that is beneficial, too much can be harmful. Not only coffee. All depends on the dosage.

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4 years ago

Coffee is good for the body as it performs certain functions that aid the body to function well. On the other hand, it should be taken in moderate quantity.

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4 years ago

Yes. There is a too much for everything. Even water and oxygen can kill you if you get too much.

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4 years ago

Thank you for the reply to my comment. Well appreciated. It will encourage me more to read your articles. Nice day to you.

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4 years ago

Nice day to you too.

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4 years ago

Many thanks for a good article as always. I heard somewhere that the amount of caffeine in guaraná is even higher than in coffee. Is that true? And is guaraná safe?

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4 years ago

Yes, it is higher. How safe it is, is hard to say. Generally it is claimed to be safe in moderate amounts, but the research done on it is quite limited. I don't dare to say anything there, I don't feel I know much enough about that to say anything about it publicly.

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4 years ago

I had read about that Kopi luwak but haven't tried 😂. Yeah, I can feel that "palpitate" if I had consumed a lot. That is why I limit myseld to one cup only per day

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2 years ago

I drink more than that, but usually not over 4-5 cups per day.

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2 years ago

Oh, you have a high tolerance of caffeine.

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2 years ago