Life> no use

Mouldy coffee 'tastes better'

(news.com.au)
Updated: 2006-08-22 13:38

New Brazilian research has found that fungus in coffee crops makes for a flavoursome brew.

More than 800 fungus experts from around the world will examine the recent findings and others at a week-long fungus conference this week in the far north Queensland city of Cairns.

"The coffee research is exciting as it's likely to have implications on how coffee is grown and consumed in the future," says Professor Paul Gadek, a plant science researcher from James Cook University in Cairns.

"Fungus naturally occurs on raw coffee beans and the Brazilian researchers found that the sweeter the species, the better the coffee tasted and smelt."

Other topics to be discussed at the conference include fungi's ability to survive in space and its potential to destroy forests throughout the world.