A group of specialists from National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), led an international project that deciphered the genome of the Yerba mate Llex Paraguariensis, the important cultivation of Argentina is First producer and that is marketed for the elaboration of Mate, which its use produces a useful tool for the industry Food, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological.
This project was published in the scientific journal Elife and “aimed to sequence the plant genome of the yerba mate to understand, among other things, how it produces the caffeineone of its most important components, “he explained Federico Vignalefirst author of the study.
Adrián TurjanskiLabor Director and researcher at CONICET at the Institute of Biological Chemistry of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the UBA, explained that the genome map of the yerba mate is essential for the genetic improvement of that plant and to develop more varieties resistant to different types of soils and climates.
To the surprise of many and contrary to what the majority consider, Mate contains caffeine, No Mateína. In addition, scientists explained that this molecule It does not exist Directly, so the analysis of how this plant produces caffeine is of great attraction for researchers.
What does the presence of caffeine in the yerba mate mean
Vignale explained that understanding how the plant synthesizes caffeine, is interesting from an evolutionary and commercial point of view. “The High levels of caffeine In the mate they are responsible for discomfort by acidity that some people experience when consuming it. Therefore, in the future, knowing how the plant synthesizes caffeine Develop a variety Of yerba mate that does not produce it to satisfy those consumers who prefer it, “added the author of the study.
This finding is fundamental in the market and consumption, since “caffeine is the main phytochemical compound of economic importance in the market of both coffee, tea or mate, but now, with this freshly published advance, we open the play a new markets From the knowledge of the Genomic for the improvement of the plant, “he said Maximiliano RossiConicet researcher.
The possibility of producing and manufacturing products decaffeinated Change the rules of the game by allowing plants that naturally did not produce that alkaloid and did produce plant compounds of high health benefit, source of its antidiabetic, antioxidant and stimulants of the nervous system.
How the discovery was made
The researchers initially took DNA samples of plants Llex Paraguariensisin the provinces that concentrate most of the plantations of that variety and that position the country as the first world producer, MISSIONS and Corrientes. Through tools Bioinformaticsother technologies and collaboration with Todd Barkmanan expert American botanist in caffeine synthesis, managed to identify the genes involved in synthesis.
“The most interesting thing about this finding is that the Biosinthetic route of caffeine in the yerba mate is different from that of other plants such as tea and coffee. This suggests that caffeine synthesis evolved convergently In these species, “explains Vignale. The study also determined that an ancestor of the yerba mate He doubled his DNA approximately 50 to 70 million years.
“Collaboration is remarkable national and international In this macro project that allowed to reach these useful results for a very important economic activity in Argentina. The way just begins, but the important thing is that from the results we present in our work they can derive multiple projects with potential applications in the food industry and Pharmaceutical“Zapata said.
Source: Ambito
