Scientists sequenced the genome of the most popular coffee variety, Arabica. Secrets of their lineage, spanning millennia and continents, are revealed. The origin of Arabica coffee takes us to Yemen and Ethiopia.
Coffea arabica was developed more than 600,000 years ago in the forests of Ethiopia. It was made through natural crossing between two other coffee species. Their population rose and fell during periods of Earth’s warming and cooling for thousands of years. It was cultivated in Ethiopia and Yemen, before spreading throughout the world.
accidental crossing
“We used genomic information from plants alive today to go back in time,” says study co-corresponding author Victor Albert. He is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo. Starbucks and Tim Hortons use exclusively Arabica plant beans to brew the millions of cups of coffee they serve every day. The species is susceptible to many pests and diseases. It can only be grown in a few places in the world.
“A detailed understanding of the origins and breeding history of contemporary varieties is crucial to developing new Arabica cultivars better adapted to climate change,” Albert says in a statement.
Using DNA sequencing, the team was able to sequence 39 varieties of Arabica. And even an 18th century specimen used by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus to name the species. The reference genome is now available in a public digital database. Arabica is the source of approximately 60% of the world’s total coffee products. Its seeds help millions of people start the day or stay up late. However, the initial crossing for the origin of Arabica coffee was done without any human intervention.
It is a natural hybridization between Coffea canephora and Coffea eugenioides. It is estimated to have formed between 610,000 and 1 million years ago, researchers say. “In other words, the crossbreeding that created Arabica was not something humans did,” says Albert. “This event predates modern humans and the cultivation of coffee.”
Yemeni influence
There is evidence that coffee cultivation may have begun primarily in Yemen. It was around the 15th century. The Indian monk Baba Budan is believed to have smuggled the legendary “seven seeds” out of Yemen around 1600. He established Indian Arabica crops and set the stage for coffee’s global reach today. Yemeni coffee may be the founder of all current major varieties.
And now, maybe, you should go get a coffee. Like this editor, a faithful consumer of this dark and pleasant drink.
