Coffee research institute in Brazil develop varieties of arabica coffee that are naturally decaffeinated

A coffee research institute in Brazil has entered a decisive phase of its two-decade-long project, focused on developing naturally decaffeinated varieties of arabica coffee. According to the researchers, this achievement holds significant commercial potential.

If the project is successful, the resulting varieties could find a market niche in major consuming regions such as the United States and Europe, where consumers may prefer them over the current decaffeinated brands produced through chemical or industrial processes.

The Instituto Agronomico de Campinas (IAC) is spearheading this program. As a leading coffee research center, the IAC has previously introduced high-yield coffee plants to the market, helping Brazil become a powerhouse in global coffee production, supplying over a third of the world’s coffee.

The IAC researchers have announced the commencement of regional field trials for some of the varieties they have developed over several years by crossbreeding different coffee plants with naturally low caffeine content. These varieties were cultivated using the germplasm bank available at the research center.

This development also has the potential to benefit companies selling decaffeinated coffee by reducing costs, as they can skip the process of removing caffeine from regular coffee varieties.

Julio Cesar Mistro, the researcher overseeing the project at IAC, expressed optimism about the promising results obtained so far.

The researchers are planting some of the developed clones in different regions of Brazil. Since coffee trees usually take two to three years to produce their first fruits, it will take some time before the researchers can harvest and test the coffee.

According to data from the National Coffee Association (NCA), approximately 10 percent of the United States coffee market is estimated to consist of decaffeinated coffee consumers.

While many people enjoy coffee for its caffeine-induced energy boost, there are individuals who are intolerant to caffeine or prefer decaffeinated options later in the day to avoid potential sleep disturbances.