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Metabolism and Excretion of Caffeine during Germination of Coffea arabica L

Baumann, Thomas W. ; Gabriel, Helene

In: Plant and Cell Physiology, 1984, vol. 25, no. 8, p. 1431-1436

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    Title
    • Metabolism and Excretion of Caffeine during Germination of Coffea arabica L
    Author
    • Baumann, Thomas W.. Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
    • Gabriel, Helene. Institute of Plant Biology, University of Zurich, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:297602
    Summary
    To investigate the physiological role of the purine alkaloids during germination, seeds of Coffea arabica were allowed to germinate under aseptic conditions on agar at 26°C, either in the dark or in the light. After imbibition for 7 days less than 1% of the seed caffeine is found in the agar, indicating a strong diffusion barrier at the surface of the coffee bean. After 56 days, when the radicle has grown deep into the agar support, a considerable amount (22%) of caffeine is excreted. The total caffeine content increases during germination for 56 days by 83% in the dark and by 51% in the light, whereas the soluble protein falls drastically. We propose that caffeine is not a nitrogen reserve for germination and acts against competitors (release into the soil) and against predators (concentration increase in the tissue)