Como parte do programa de Genética e melhoramento de Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner desenvolvido pelo Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, mais de 300 plantas-elite foram selecionadas, com excelente produção, resistência à ferrugem, rusticidade, sementes grandes, altos valores de peneira média (16 a 19) e ainda diferentes padrões de maturação de frutos. Os teores de cafeína e trigonelina de 90 plantas - elite de café Robusta (grupo Congolês), de seis plantas - elite de café Congusta e 29 híbridos F 1 foram determinados com o objetivo de avaliar a variabilidade destes componentes químicos. Os teores de cafeína variaram de 1,58% a 2,94% nos genótipos de Robusta, 1,92% a 2,61% nos de café Congusta e de 1,65% a 3,09% nos híbridos F 1 de diferentes origens. Os teores de trigonelina variaram de 0,68% a 1,35% entre os genótipos de café Robusta, 0,93% a 1,13% nos de café Congusta e 0,56% a 1,23% nos híbridos F 1 analisados. Os resultados mostram claramente a grande variabilidade nas concentrações de cafeína e trigonelina nas plantas- elite de Coffea canephora, de café Congusta e de híbridos F 1 e a possibilidade de identificar clones com alto ou baixo teores de cafeína, que é de interesse dos consumidores e torrefadores que utilizam o café Robusta nos blends de café torrado e moído ou na indústria de café solúvel.
As part of the genetic improvement, program for Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner developed by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, more than 300 coffee elite-plants were selected, all of which were highly productive, rust-resistant, rusticity and produced large beans of high medium-sieve values (16 to 19), in addition to presenting different fruit ripening patterns. The levels of caffeine and trigonelline of 90 Robusta coffee elite-plants (Congolese group), six elite- plants of Congusta coffee and 29 F 1 hybrids were determined with the objective to evaluate the variability of these chemical components. Caffeine levels varied from 1,58 % to 2,94 % in Robusta genotypes, 1,92% to 2,61% in Congusta coffee and from 1,65 % to 3,09 % in F1 hybrids of different origins. Trigonelline levels ranged from 0,68% to 1,35% in Robusta coffee 0,93% to 1,13% in Congusta coffee and from 0,56 % to 1,23% in the F1 hybrids analyzed. The results clearly show great variability in the concentrations of caffeine and trigonelline in selected C. canephora, Congusta and F 1 hybrids elite-plants and make it possible to identify clones with high or low levels of caffeine, which is of great interest to both consumers and coffee roasters that use robusta coffee in blends of roasted ground coffee or in the manufacture of soluble coffee.
