[W]ant to know what in the world the Coffea arabica genome looks like? Well, now you can take a look at the first ever publically available genome sequencing on the World Coffee Research website. The accomplishment is thanks to a partnership between illycaffé, Lavazza, Istituto di Genomica Applicata, IGA Technology Services, DNA Analytica, Universities of Trieste, Udine, Padova, and Verona, called The Coffea arabica Genome Sequencing Project. The collaboration began in 2015 under the leadership of professor Giorgio Graziosi of DNA Analytica Srl, with the goal to ensure the future of coffee agriculture, which is currently under threat from climate change.
“The sequencing of the coffee genome gives us the ability to ‘read’ the plant and precisely identify its origins as well as determine, for example, the genes that give it a certain resistance to diseases or infections,” says Lavazza vice chairman Giuseppe Lavazza. “This could result in a superior quality coffee end product based on objective criteria. Indeed, excellent quality is the ultimate goal our company has always pursued, and which is the focus of our ongoing research projects.”
The Genome Sequencing Project hopes that by making their findings available to the public, the impact of the research will be maximized in making sure coffee is sustainable for the generations to come.
