In any case, insects are full of nutrients – including calcium, magnesium and iron.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows small amounts of natural contaminants, including insect parts, in foods.
FDA goes where it also instructs manufacturers to “take action” if an average of 10 percent. or more green coffee beans are “insect-infested or insect-damaged”. Such beans should be easy to spot and remove before roasting the coffee.
However, cockroaches are not really a problem for coffee farmers. They are much more worried about the beetle Hypothenemus hampeicausing great damage to coffee berries.
The females of this beetle suck into the berries of the coffee tree and lay their eggs in the seeds – beans. Hatched larvae eat the beans.
This beetle is the only insect that can feed on coffee beans alone without getting caffeine poisoning – because its gut contains detoxifying bacteria.
The FDA document statesthat “larvae, pupae, adult insects and their remains consisting of excrement and excreta can be found in coffee”.
Another common pest is the weevil, which feeds on beans stored in warm and humid regions. So much H. hampeiboth weevils cause enormous damage to the interior and surface of coffee beans.
The FDA guidance document provides advice on how to “restore” infected or damaged coffee beans. It states that the insects on the outside of the beans can be simply sifted before the beans are processed.
If that sounds unpleasant, your best bet is to buy unground coffee beans and inspect them before grinding them yourself.
And if you’re still worried about cockroaches in your coffee, keep a close watch for them in a warm, moist, dark coffee container. According to one pest control website, “if you find a cockroach crawling under or near your coffee machine, chances are there are more.”
Parengta pagal „BBC Science Focus“.
2024-09-08 07:14:18