Selmar D, Bytof G, Knopp S-E, Breitenstein B
Institute for Plant Biology, Technical University Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstrasse 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
Plant Biol (Stuttg). 2006 Mar;8(2):260-4. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-923845.
Besides genotypic characteristics, the crucial factor that determines coffee quality is the mode of post-harvest treatment, i.e., the wet and dry processing. Up to now, the resulting characteristic flavour differences between these differentially processed coffees were attributed exclusively to differences in starting material. However, as these quality differences are still evident, even when identical coffee samples were processed by the two methods in parallel, the differences must be created by metabolic processes in the coffee beans themselves. Based on expression studies of the germination-specific isocitrate lyase and the resumption of cell cycle activity, monitored by the abundance of beta-tubulin, we evidence that germination is initiated in coffee seeds during the course of standard coffee post-harvest treatments. The extent and nature of the germination processes depend on the processing method. The coherence of metabolic events, substantial differences in the chemical composition of the coffee beans, and the generation of specific coffee qualities establishes the basis for a quite novel approach in coffee research.
除了基因型特征外，决定咖啡品质的关键因素是收获后的处理方式，即湿法和干法加工。到目前为止，这些不同加工方式的咖啡所产生的特征风味差异完全归因于起始原料的差异。然而，即使将相同的咖啡样品同时用两种方法进行加工，这些品质差异仍然很明显，因此这些差异必定是由咖啡豆自身的代谢过程造成的。基于对萌发特异性异柠檬酸裂解酶的表达研究以及通过β-微管蛋白丰度监测的细胞周期活性恢复情况，我们证明在标准咖啡收获后处理过程中，咖啡种子会开始萌发。萌发过程的程度和性质取决于加工方法。代谢事件的连贯性、咖啡豆化学成分的显著差异以及特定咖啡品质的产生，为咖啡研究中一种全新的方法奠定了基础。
