Exam 4 Flashcards
(46 cards)
Caffeine is produced only by plants, yet is has profound effects on the CNS of animals. Why would plants, which do not possess a nervous system, have evolved neurologically active compounds?
Plants produce neurologically active compounds like caffeine as a form of chemical defense. Caffeine is toxic or repellent to many insects and herbivores, helping to protect the plant from being eaten. It can also inhibit the growth of competing plants (allelopathy) by leaching into the soil.
Why is it ironic that Brazil is the world’s leading producer of coffee?
The irony is that coffee, especially Coffea arabica, is native to Ethiopia, but Brazil—a place where it didn’t originally grow—has become the world’s top producer. Even though the plant evolved elsewhere, Brazil now dominates the coffee industry thanks to its ideal climate and large-scale farming.
What is the most expensive coffee?
Explain the process of making it in a simple way.
The most expensive coffee is kopi luwak (civet coffee), where coffee cherries are eaten and excreted by civet cats. The beans are collected from their feces, with fermentation during digestion altering the flavor. This unique, labor-intensive process, along with limited production, makes it highly expensive.
Where do the beans of coffee actually come from in the physical plant?
They come from the fruit or berry that exists on the shrub, which are then harvested and roasted - affecting its flavor (maillard reaction).
What is the ecological concern associated with growing coffee in sun-trees for higher yields compared to the traditional method of shade-grown coffee?
Growing coffee in sun-trees for higher yields can lead to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and soil degradation. The clearing of forests for sun-grown coffee reduces habitats for wildlife and can disrupt ecosystems.
What is the world’s most consumed beverage besides water?
What is its official name?
Tea which comes from the species of camellia sinensis
(Camel-Lia SinenSis)
Where is tea native to?
Hypothesised countries of orgin?
SE Asia
China and India
What is the morphology of the tea plant?
How is it harvested?
It is a small tree or shrub
It is pruned and then harvested by hand.
Explain the levels of “fermentation” for these various varieties of tea.
Green:
Oolong:
Black:
White:
- Green has no fermentation, only steamed
- Oolong has partial fermentation
- Black is full
- White is just leaves from a particular variety that have dense trichomes, again no fermentation, just steaming
How is green tea consumption linked to lower cancer risk, and what role do polyphenols play in this effect?
Green tea consumption has been linked to a lower risk of cancer due to its high content of polyphenols, particularly catechins. These compounds have antioxidant properties.
How are caffeine and theophylline related?
What is the latter used for?
They look the same and have similar stimulant properties, but theophylline is used because it relaxes the bronchial muscles in people with asthma.
What did linnaeus call theobroma cacao?
He called is the food of the god’s
What was the Aztec myth around the origin of chocolate?
That after they were created from the maize by the gods, they were given it as a gift. They then used the seeds as small coins.
How was chocolatl made?
Who was it made by?
It was made with ground and roasted bean and addition of chili peppers and other spices drank by the aztecs as a bitter sweet drink.
How did a company in 1850 from England change things?
They added cocoa butter and sugar to the ground beans - modern chocolate.
What is chocolate from?
The roasted, fermented seeds of the theobroma cocoa tree.
What plant compound do the seeds contain at 2%?
What class of secondary plant compounds?
Theobromine and it is an alkaloid.
Where else can we find theobromine?
in tea leaves
kola tree
What are the physiological effects of theobromine?
It acts as a diuretic and heart stimulant (even more than caffeine).
Why can dogs have theobromine poisoning more than humans?
Because they metabolize the compound slower.
What is phenethylamine?
What is relevant about our metabolism of it?
It is a dopamine releasing agent kind of like amphetamines
it is metabolized rapidly when taken orally.
What is anandamide?
What was it named after?
This is a cannabinoid NT activates some of the same receptors as THC.
It was named after the Sanskrit word anand meaning bliss or delight.
What are the possible health benefits of dark chocolate?
What happens when the chocolate is more processed?
- Flavanols have antioxidant properties.
- Improve insulin sensitivity and may reduce BP
As you process it you lose these effects.
Explain the processing of chocolate.
Beans get roasted and cracked open releasing the cotyledons (nibs)
Nibs are crushed to create choc liquor (baking chocolate)
The lipids from the beans are used for cocoa butter used in cosmetics and soaps.
