Search Results (8)

Novel methods of coffee processing, including animal-assisted fermentation, are gaining popularity—among them, elephant dung coffee stands out for its rarity and high price, making it a likely target for adulteration. This study aims to discover candidate biomarkers for elephant coffee by comparing the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and volatile profiles of Arabica coffee processed by three methods: conventional, civet-derived, and elephant-derived (all originated from Southeast Asia, medium roast). Analytical methods included HPLC-UV and GC-SPME-MS, along with in vitro antioxidant assays (DPPH, ORAC, ABTS, total phenolics, and total flavonoids). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate differences between the samples. While elephant coffee showed lower caffeine (0.93%) and antioxidant capacity across all assays, it was richer in selected volatile compounds, such as pyrazines (e.g., 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine; 3.73% RPA), 2- and 3-methybutanal (1.18 and 0.19% RPA), and furfuryl acetate (18.00% RPA; p < 0.05). These changes are likely to be due to fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite differences, no definitive biomarker of elephant coffee was found, suggesting that discrimination from other coffee samples may not be as simple as previous studies indicated. More studies with a higher number of samples that employ an extensive analytical approach (e.g., omics or NMR) to thoroughly analyze the phytochemical profile of coffee beans before and after digestion by the elephant are needed. Full article

Coffee quality can be modified with microorganism addition during post-harvest processing. While most studies focus on yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, other species identified in the digestive tract of palm civets might also contribute to the quality of luwak coffee. Bacteria akin to those identified in palm civets’ gastrointestinal tract or feces were evaluated for their potential to modify coffee bean composition. Among those, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Gluconobacter sp. KKP 3751 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 4080 exhibited strong growth in green coffee extract. The use of these bacteria significantly changed the amounts of basic coffee components (taste and aroma precursors), and slightly altered bioactive compound levels in green and roasted beans. The influence of fermentation duration was evaluated using L. plantarum. A stationary growth phase and positive changes regarding phenolic content were achieved after 24 h of fermentation. Overall, the use of bacteria can influence bean composition, offering the potential to create unique coffee products. Full article

To develop a process for low-cost and ecologically friendly coffee fermentation, civet gut bacteria were isolated and screened to be used for fermentation. Among 223 isolates from civet feces, two bacteria exhibited strong protease, amylase, lipase, pectinase, and cellulase activities. By analyzing 16S rDNA phylogeny, those bacteria were identified to be Lactiplantibacillus plantarum JT-PN39 (LP) and Paenibacillus motobuensis JT-A29 (PM), where their potency (pure or mixed bacterial culture) for fermenting 5 L of arabica parchment coffee in 48–72 h was further determined. To characterize the role of bacteria in coffee fermentation, growth and pH were also determined. For mixed starter culture conditions, the growth of PM was not detected after 36 h of fermentation due to the low acid conditions generated by LP. Coffee quality was evaluated using a cupping test, and LP-fermented coffee expressed a higher cupping score, with a main fruity and sour flavor, and a dominant caramel-honey-like aroma. Antioxidant and anti-foodborne pathogenic bacteria activity, including total phenolic compounds of PM and LP fermented coffee extracts, was significantly higher than those of ordinary coffee. In addition, LP-fermented coffee expressed the highest antibacterial and antioxidant activities among the fermented coffee. The toxicity test was examined in the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell, and all fermented coffee revealed 80–90% cell variability, which means that the fermentation process does not generate any toxicity. In addition, qualifications of non-volatile and volatile compounds in fermented coffee were examined by LC-MS and GC-MS to discriminate the bacterial role during the process by PCA plot. The flavors of fermented coffee, including volatile and non-volatile compounds, were totally different between the non-fermented and fermented conditions. Moreover, the PCA plot showed slightly different flavors among fermentations with different starter cultures. For both the cupping test and biological activities, this study suggests that LP has potential for health benefits in coffee fermentation. Full article

Civet coffee is the world’s most expensive and rarest coffee bean. Indonesia was the first country to be identified as the origin of civet coffee. First, it is produced spontaneously by collecting civet feces from coffee plantations near the forest. Due to limited stock, farmers began cultivating civets to obtain safe supplies of civet coffee. Based on this, civet coffee can be divided into two types: wild and fed. A combination of spectroscopy and chemometrics can be used to evaluate authenticity with high speed and precision. In this study, seven samples from different regions were analyzed using NIR Spectroscopy with various preparations: unroasted, roasted, unground, and ground. The spectroscopic data were combined with unsupervised exploratory methods (hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA)) and supervised classification methods (support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF)). The HCA results showed a trend between roasted and unroasted beans; meanwhile, the PCA showed a trend based on coffee bean regions. Combining the SVM with leave-one-out-cross-validation (LOOCV) successfully differentiated 57.14% in all sample groups (unground, ground, unroasted, unroasted–unground, and roasted–unground), 78.57% in roasted, 92.86% in roasted–ground, and 100% in unroasted–ground. However, using the Boruta filter, the accuracy increased to 89.29% for all samples, to 85.71% for unground and unroasted–unground, and 100% for roasted, unroasted–ground, and roasted–ground. Ultimately, RF successfully differentiated 100% of all grouped samples. In general, roasting and grinding the samples before analysis improved the accuracy of differentiating between wild and feeding civet coffee using NIR Spectroscopy. Full article

Civets belong to the family Viverridae, an ancient line of ‘cat-like’ animals. Despite their large geographic distribution across southeast Asia and parts of Africa, little scientific attention has been attributed to Viverrids or Viverrid–human relations. This paper applies the lens of civets to explore the tensive intersection between animal welfare, conservation, and colonialism within the tourism landscape. Through thinking with civets, this paper brings two forms of animal commodification into dialogue: (1) the management of civets in zoos around the globe and (2) the rising trend in civet coffee production and tourism in Asia. By qualitatively analysing the entanglements between colonialism, animal welfare, and conservation and how each impacts the lives and treatment of civets in tourism, this paper calls for enhanced reflexivity and thus the decolonisation of animal-based tourism. Suggestions are made on how zoos may progress towards the decolonisation of animal tourism, and the argument is made that zoos are well positioned and morally obligated to answer this call. By doing so, greater attention can be given to the animals whose lives are most affected by the global tourism landscape. Full article

Luwak (civet) coffee is one of the most precious and exotic coffee commodities in the world. It has garnered an increasing reputation as the rarest and most expensive coffee, with an annual production. Many targeted analytical techniques have been reported for the discrimination of specialty coffee commodities, such as Luwak coffee, from other ordinary coffee. This study presents the first comparative metabolomics approach for Luwak coffee analysis compared to other coffee products, targeting secondary and aroma metabolites using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography (GC), or liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Chemometric modeling of these datasets showed significant classification among all samples and aided in identifying potential novel markers for Luwak coffee from other coffee samples. Markers have indicated that C. arabica was the source of Luwak coffee, with several new markers being identified, including kahweol, chlorogenic acid lactones, and elaidic acid. Aroma profiling using solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with GC/MS revealed higher levels of guaiacol derivatives, pyrazines, and furans in roasted Luwak coffee compared with roasted C. arabica. Quantification of the major metabolites was attempted using NMR for Luwak coffee to enable future standardization. Lower levels of alkaloids (caffeine 2.85 µg/mg, trigonelline 0.14 µg/mg, and xanthine 0.03 µg/mg) were detected, compared with C. arabica. Other metabolites that were quantified in civet coffee included kahweol and difurfuryl ether at 1.37 and 0.15 µg/mg, respectively. Full article

Complex agroforestry systems can host similar biodiversity levels to adjacent continuous forests and can offer important ecosystem services for wildlife. Species inhabiting adjacent forests, as well as species that prefer agroforestry systems, can benefit from this habitat matrix. It is necessary, however, to understand the species-specific adaptability to such a complex matrix. Indonesia is a biodiversity hotspot and hosts many endemic species that are threatened with extinction. Its human population relies heavily on agriculture, meaning that finding a balance between crop productivity and biodiversity is key for the long-term sustainability of local communities and wildlife. We aim to determine the influence of the presence of shade trees and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife in coffee home gardens. In West Java, Indonesia, we monitored 23 gardens between April 2018 and March 2021 via camera traps, totalling 3856 days of monitoring in shade-grown and 3338 days in sun-exposed gardens. We also collected data in the nearby montane rainforest, totalling 1183 days of monitoring. We used Generalized Additive Models to estimate the influence of shade cover and distance to the forest on the detection rates of wildlife. The Sunda leopard cat Prionailurus javanensis was found more frequently in shade-grown gardens and used both the forest and agroforest matrix. Wild boars Sus scrofa mostly occurred in gardens adjacent to the forest, while barred buttonquails Turnix suscitator were associated with gardens far (>1 km) from the forest. Several species (civets Viverricula indica and Paradoxus musangus javanicus, Horsfield’s treeshrew Tupaia javanica, Javan ferret badger Melogale orientalis, Javan mongoose Herpestes javanicus) were not influenced by shade cover and distance to the forest, suggesting they are well adapted to the agroforestry system. Still, species of high conservation importance, such as Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas, Sunda porcupine Hystrix javanica, and grizzled langur Presbytis comata, were present in the forest but not in the agroforest, suggesting that the replacement of the forest by the agroforestry matrix is still detrimental. Nevertheless, it is important to maintain the complexity of the agroforestry system and connectivity with the neighbouring continuous forest to favour the long-term sustainability of this environment and the conservation of endemic species. Full article

In the context of animal protection, the trend of digested coffees such as Kopi Luwak produced by civet cats in captivity should not be endorsed. Previous studies on such coffees may have been flawed by sample selection and misclassification. As wild civets may prefer Coffea liberica beans, due to their higher sugar content, the chemical differences may be caused by the Coffea species difference combined with a careful selection of ripe, defect-free cherries by the animals, rather than changes caused by digestion. This may also explain the observed differences between Kopi Luwak from wild civets (mainly C. liberica) compared to the one from animals in captivity (typically fed with C. arabica and/or C. canephora). Full article