Diterpenes in Coffea canephora

The presence of diterpenes in coffee has received a great deal of attention in recent years, due to their physiological effects on human health. Some studies related to kahweol and cafestol contents in Coffea arabica are available in the literature; however, information on the impact of genetic variability on the profile of diterpenes in Coffea canephora is scarce. This work evaluates the contents of kahweol, cafestol and 16-O-methylcafestol in 15 genotypes of C. canephora. Coffees corresponded to three cultivars – Diamante ES8112, ES8122 ‘Jequitibá’ and Centenária ES8132 – with different fruit-ripening seasons (early, medium and late). Coffees were grown at two locations in the state of Espírito Santo, the largest C. canephora growing region in Brazil, resulting in 30 samples. Kahweol was absent in 70% of the samples and the highest content observed was 14.1 mg 100 g⁻¹ in the Jequitibá cultivar. Cafestol was present in all samples and it was the main representative of the diterpene class, with contents varying from 152 mg 100 g⁻¹ to 360 mg 100 g⁻¹. Contents of 16-O-methylcafestol varied from 26.3 mg 100 g⁻¹ to 132 mg 100 g⁻¹. A significant difference among genotypes was observed, and there was an interaction between genotypes and growing site for the three diterpenes studied.