Do you know what the fragrance of coffee flowers is? how many kinds of flowers are there?

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Coffee flowers can be divided into three main ingredients: pollen, nectar and petals.

Pollen is rich in proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, saturated and unsaturated fats, flavonoids and carotenoids.

Nectar contains compounds of sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose), amino acids, proteins, inorganic ions, alkaloids, lipids and organic acids.

In addition, petals and other parts contain large amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which may have some value in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

And coffee flowers have a special smell, and their use as raw materials for food and beverages may bring unique flavor to the products.

The researchers also found that in the process of extracting bioactive compounds, coffee flowers have the possibility of Maillard reaction and caramelization, resulting in the production of protein melanin.

In the past, many scientific studies have focused on the negative biological effects of Maillard reaction. Protein melanin is thought to lead to a decrease in the nutritional value of foods. However, recent studies have shown that they have the properties of anti-free radical, anti-mutagenesis, antioxidation, antibacterial, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammation and anti-sugar, as well as the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases.

Coffee tree is a shrub or small tree of Rubiaceae; leaves are opposite, leathery, long ovate; every March, the branches will appear white flowers, petals spirally arranged, the heart of the flowers jump around the petals, take a closer look, it is really like a small windmill playing in childhood, emitting the fragrance of jasmine flowers; the fruit is oval, berry, crimson, containing two seeds, that is, we are familiar with coffee beans. The first flowering period of the white flower red fruit coffee tree is about three years old. the five-petal tube-shaped white flowers are filled with a faint fragrance of jasmine and the inflorescences are arranged in dense clusters.

Flowers wither after two or three days of blooming and begin to bear fruit after a few months. The fruit is a drupe with a diameter of about 1.5cm. It turns green at first, then turns yellow gradually, and turns red when ripe. It is very similar to cherries, so it is called cherry coffee (Coffee Cherry). It can be harvested at this time.

The ripe coffee berries look like cherries and are bright red with sweet flesh and contain a pair of seeds, namely coffee beans (Coffee Beans). Coffee varieties can be divided into small-grain, medium-grain and large-grain species, the former contains low caffeine content and strong flavor, while the latter two have high caffeine content but poor flavor. Coffee sold in the world is generally made of small and medium seeds in different proportions, usually 70% of medium seeds, mainly caffeine, and 30% of small seeds, mainly for their aroma. Each coffee variety generally has a few to a dozen variants. Coffee is more resistant to shade and cold, but not resistant to light, drought and disease. Coffee contains nine kinds of nutrients, such as caffeine, protein, crude fat, crude fiber and sucrose. As a beverage, coffee is not only mellow and delicious, slightly bitter and sweet, but also can excite nerves and dispel fatigue. In medicine, caffeine can be used as an anesthetic, stimulant, diuretic and cardiotonic, as well as to help digestion and promote metabolism. The pulp of coffee is rich in sugar and can be used to make sugar and alcohol. Coffee flowers contain essential oils, which can extract high-grade spices.

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