Proteins in unroasted coffee beans may become next-generation insecticides
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 11:14
in Biology & Nature
Scientists in Brazil are reporting for the first time that coffee beans contain proteins that can kill insects and might be developed into new insecticides for protecting food crops against destructive pests. Their study, which suggests a new use for one of the most important tropical crops in the world, appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.