Rio de Janeiro, Oct 22 (EFE). – Brazilian researchers have identified a protein trace in coffee with pain and anxiety relieving properties similar to morphine’s, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, or Embrapa, said.

The substance’s effects have already been tested on lab mice, Embrapa, considered the world’s largest tropical agricultural research center, said.

The discovery was described in molecular biologist Felipe Vinechy’s doctoral dissertation under a joint project by Embrapa and the University of Brasilia, which have applied for patents on seven different particles of the protein isolated in coffee.

Vinechy was trying to isolate coffee genes associated with bean quality as part of a project for the French Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development when he identified genetic sequences in coffee with structures similar to those of some human endogen opioids.

Under the guidance of Embrapa researcher Carlos Bloch Junior, Vinechy focused on the fragments he identified to evaluate their functions and effects in experiments with mammals.

Trials with lab mice showed the substances had properties similar to morphine but with pain relieving effects higher and longer lasting – up to four hours – without additional side effects.

The development of an analgesic or an anxiolytic medication from the coffee substance will require additional research to synthetize the protein and assess its effects on humans.

Vinechy’s discovery was made possible by Embrapa’s sequencing of the coffee genome in 2004, creating a database of about 200,000 sequences, of which 30,000 have been identified. EFE