Coffee Beans Brew Next Generation of Pesticides

CAMPINAS, BrazilProteins in raw coffee beans have the ability to kill insects and may become the next generation of insecticides to protect food crops, according to a new study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Coffee beans contain large amounts of globulins, proteins found in smaller amounts in peas and beans, noted researchers from the State University of Campinas, Brazil. Tests against cowpea weevil larva, insects used as models for studying the insecticidal activity of proteins, showed that tiny amounts of the coffee proteins quickly killed up to half of the insects. Scientists in the future could insert genes from insect-killing proteins into food crops, such as grains, so the plants could produce their own insecticides, the researchers suggested, noting the proteins appear harmless to people.