🎧 The Microbiology of Coffee and Cocoa with Dr. Eric Peterson
The microbial fermentation of these plants plays a big role in crafting the final flavors and aromas we enjoy!
What gives coffee and chocolate those special notes of fruit or nutty aromas? It all comes down to how the plants are processed, and especially to the role of microbial fermentation! This week on the Foodie Pharmacology podcast, I spoke with Dr. Eric Peterson, an Assistant Professor at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Quebec, Canada. Dr. Peterson is an interdisciplinary researcher who is worried about food. A perfect storm is on the horizon, where climate change, political instability, and globalization all threaten access to food for everyone. Dr. Peterson shares his fascinating insights on the world of coffee and cocoa production, from the farm to fermentation and drying processes, to global distribution.
About Eric
Dr. Eric Peterson is an interdisciplinary researcher who is worried about food. A perfect storm is on the horizon, where climate change, political instability, and globalization all threaten access to food for everyone. As a professor at INRS in Quebec, Canada, he spends most of his time obsessing about the circular economy, trying to turn waste into alternative protein via fermentation. Somewhere along the way, he became an expert in coffee and cocoa. Originally Canadian, Eric has spent the last decade doing research in the tropics. 5 years as a professor in Colombia brought close contact with rural farming communities. In this Latin American country, Eric was trying to improve sustainability for tropical agriculture, which included coffee and cocoa farming. Another 5 years was spent in Singapore, a foodie paradise. At the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Eric worked on industrial R&D for cocoa and coffee fermentation and glimpsed the inner workings of the world of business for coffee and cocoa. In coffee fermentation, intricate microbiology is at work to produce the flavors of single-origin coffees, and the complex journey these beans take from farmers to our cups is an interesting story.
Follow his work on Twitter at trashprof or his university website.
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Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.
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I enjoyed this interview, as I have a long interest in coffee and cocoa production and chemistry. You covered a lot of topics very well, but I think you missed some opportunities to educate your listeners.
1. Kopi Luwak was once an incidental coffee product collected from the ground by farmers while they were harvesting their regular coffee crop. This is no longer true. I investigated this when I was last in Sumatra. Kopi Luwak today is produced by force-feeding captive civet cats who live miserable lives in tiny cages. It is the coffee equivalent of foie gras. There are companies who claim to collect kopi luwak from free-living animals, but nearly all of them are lying. Consumers should be encouraged to avoid kopi luwak altogether. The one exception is a couple of kedai kopi in the highlands of Sumatra run by farm families, where you can see them collecting in the coffee groves; needless to say, this is very rare and obviously not exported.
2. At the end, you spent some time discussing climate as it relates to both coffee and cacao, did not talk about the clear solution to the problems of smallholder poverty and the climate crisis. Right now, there is a small number of coffee and chocolate companies engaging in direct trade with suppliers, in contracts that assure a good livelihood for farmers and sustainable production. Smallholders who are paid adequately can better deal with climate change through careful selection of cultivars, growing coffee in shade, and intercropping with other plants. The same is true of cacao farmers. Companies like Stumptown Coffee, Torque Coffee, Askinosie Chocolate, and others, are transforming the economics and environmental impact of coffee and chocolate. (Fair trade, in the opinion of many, does not work).
Direct trade coffee and chocolate that benefits farmers and the future of these crops is critically important. It does raise prices, but if we are buying inexpensive coffee and chocolate, we are participating in systems that keep farmers, especially smallholders, in poverty. We need to do better.