BACKGROUND AND AIMS The chemical composition of green coffee and thus the final coffee quality are specifically determined by the mode of post-harvest treatment, i.e. the wet and dry processing. Recently, it was shown that metabolic processes, i.e. germination and, a slightly delayed stress-related metabolism are executed during the course of processing. The specific ambient conditions of either post-harvest treatment may influence differentially the extent and time course of these metabolic reactions; therefore, the incidence and intensity of germination processes in coffee seeds were analysed during processing. METHODS Expression of the germination-specific isocitrate lyase was monitored using competitive RT-PCRs analyses. Resumption of cell cycle activity and cell division were determined by flow cytometry, as well as by the abundance of beta-tubulin quantified by Western blot analyses. KEY RESULTS The extent and the time courses of germination processes in coffee seeds differed significantly between wet and dry processed beans. The highest germination activity occurred 2 d after the onset of wet processing, whereas the corresponding maximum in the course of dry processing appeared about 1 week after the start of post harvest treatment. CONCLUSIONS As recently shown, there are specific differences in the chemical composition of differentially processed coffee beans. It is concluded that these substantial differences are the consequence of the differential expression of germination processes, i.e. they are the result of differences in the corresponding metabolic activities. The coherence of germination-related metabolism and of expression-specific coffee qualities establishes the basis for a novel approach in coffee research.

中文翻译：

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咖啡收获后处理过程中种子萌发过程的瞬时发生

背景和目的生咖啡的化学成分以及最终的咖啡质量具体取决于收获后处理的方式，即湿法和干法处理。最近，表明在加工过程中执行代谢过程，即萌发和略微延迟的应激相关代谢。任何一种收获后处理的特定环境条件都可能对这些代谢反应的程度和时间进程产生不同的影响；因此，在加工过程中分析了咖啡种子发芽过程的发生率和强度。方法 使用竞争性 RT-PCR 分析监测发芽特异性异柠檬酸裂解酶的表达。通过流式细胞术测定细胞周期活性和细胞分裂的恢复，以及通过蛋白质印迹分析量化的β-微管蛋白的丰度。主要结果 湿豆和干豆之间的咖啡种子萌发过程的程度和时间进程显着不同。最高发芽活动发生在湿处理开始后 2 天，而干处理过程中相应的最大值出现在收获后处理开始后约 1 周。结论 正如最近所显示的，经过差异加工的咖啡豆的化学成分存在特定差异。得出的结论是，这些实质性差异是萌发过程差异表达的结果，即它们是相应代谢活动差异的结果。