Here is a chance for coffee growers to get additional income from their plants all over the year. Mysore-based CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) has developed a technology to produce a value-added product from coffee leaves that also packs in health benefits.
Pushpa S. Murthy, Principal Scientist (Department of Spices and Flavor Sciences) at CFTRI said that with this Coffee Leaf Brew Mix, growers can see additional income from their plants after the usual three-month harvest period.
The technology follows a CFTRI project on the development of value-added products from coffee leaves, launched in 2019. The project was funded by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Farmers can use leaves that can be harvested during off-season or during pruning without interfering with the growth of coffee beans. This will have a great impact on the social upliftment of coffee farmers. Due to the nature of coffee beans’ growth cycle, about 70 percent of the coffee industry is unemployed or underemployed during the nine months of the year. The project aims to provide a year-round, sustainable process for coffee farmers.
She said that coffee leaves are usually discarded as a by-product. Preparing the drink from coffee leaves is native to Ethiopia and is known as “kuti tea,” and in West Sumatra and Indonesia as “Kahwa dun.” However, Murthy said the preparation in these areas is different from the one developed by CFTRI.
The decoction can be prepared from water, steeped for a few minutes, filtered and allowed for consumption. He said that the institute has initiated the transfer of this technology to the coffee industry, and some industry participants have already given their consent.
The leaf brew doesn’t really taste like coffee, and the brew is subtle with less caffeine than coffee or tea.
On the nutritional value of the drink, he said that coffee leaves are rich in phenolic acids with potential health benefits. A single coffee leaf contains approximately 17% more antioxidants than a cup of green tea. Consumption of the drink should be simple. He added that the drink contains health-promoting polyphenols like chlorogenic acid and mangiferin that help reduce blood sugar levels, inflammation and blood pressure.