6 • Coffee World • C&CI May 2012 Africa


COMPETE acclaims African fine coffees conference


The Competitive & Trade Expansion Programme (COM- PETE) says its long-time partner, the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), "surpassed itself in a number of respects" with the 9th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition. The event, which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,


brought together more than 1,000 producers, exporters, importers, roasters and service/equipment providers to dis- cuss critical issues such as global market trends, certifica- tion and sustainability, and programmes and issues affect- ing women in coffee. "From an industry perspective, the ability to develop rela-


tionships and conduct business during the AFCA confer- ence makes it the most important event on the African cof- fee industry calendar," said COMPETE.


The latest research has con- firmed earlier findings that consuming coffee does not contribute to diseases such as heart disease and cancer


Research suggests that coffee berry borer beetles can digest sugars in coffee thanks to a gene that transferred to them from bacteria


US Gene helps coffee beetle get its fix


Research by the US Department of Agriculture has shown that coffee berry borer beetles – which are major pest on cof- fee farms – contain a gene that may have jumped from bac- teria, enabling the beetle to digest sugars in the bean. The finding, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a rare example of a bacteria-to-animal gene transfer with an obvious benefit to the animal. "We were excited to see a very clear story emerging for


US Study confirms health findings


A new study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that regular coffee drinkers do not have an increased risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and have a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes com- pared to sporadic drinkers or non-drinkers. "Our results suggest that coffee consumption is not


harmful for healthy adults in respect of risk of major chronic disease," researcher Anna Floegel, an epidemi- ologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, told Reuters. The study included 42,659 people who participated


in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) – Germany study. The researchers asked the participants to record how frequently they ate the different foods in their diets (including coffee), and collected information on whether the study partici- pants had any chronic diseases. After almost nine years, the researchers found that


the people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were at no higher risk for chronic disease, com- pared with those who drank less than a cup of coffee a day.


the function of this gene," said Jocelyn Rose, a plant biolo- gist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Rose and his colleagues think that the transferred gene, which lets the beetle break down complex sugars in the coffee bean, came from the beetle’s gut bacteria. Nonsexual horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has been widely


documented in prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea), the sim- plest forms of life. However, relatively few examples have been uncovered in the more complex eukaryotes (which have a defined nucleus), especially higher animals. Even in those rare cases, the evolutionary or functional significance of the transferred gene has not usually been clear.


US Key role for Hispanic consumers


Coffee consumption is stronger among Hispanic-Americans than their non-Hispanic counterparts, according to new research from the National Coffee Association (NCA). The NCA’s Hispanic-American Market Report reveals that 74 per cent of Hispanic-Americans drink coffee daily, fully 12 percentage points ahead of non-Hispanics. The differ- ence is also sustained for less frequent consumption, with past-week consumption at 80 per cent versus 72 per cent and past-year at 84 per cent versus 77 per cent. "Understanding coffee consumption behaviour among the growing Hispanic population is essential to reaching these consumers and satisfying their demands," said Robert F Nelson, the NCA’s President and CEO. "A thorough under- standing of this complex segment is pivotal to growing the coffee category in the US."


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