Civet coffee: The real chemistry behind this bizarre luxury drink

Coffee beans sourced from the dung of civets possess a distinctive chemical profile, which could be the reason these beans garner such high acclaim for their taste.

Asian palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) are small mammals resembling mongooses, found across South and Southeast Asia. The production of civet coffee, also referred to as kopi luwak, makes it one of the world’s rarest and most expensive beverages, with a kilogram fetching over $1000 when produced this way.

Kopi luwak is mainly produced in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, although it is also created on a smaller scale in countries like India and East Timor. Nonetheless, animal rights organizations are advising consumers to steer clear of this industry, claiming it keeps numerous civets in appalling conditions.

To investigate the changes that coffee beans undergo post-digestion in civets, Palatty Allesh Sinu from Central University of Kerala in India and his research team collected coffee samples from five farms situated in Kodagu within the Western Ghats of India.

These civets roam freely on these farms, and none are confined in cages. Workers gather the beans from the animals’ droppings and add them to the regular harvest. “The farms we collaborated with maintain a beneficial relationship between growers and civets,” states Sinu. “Our goal is to share insights about the chemical makeup with the farmers.”

The team gathered nearly 70 civet feces samples containing coffee beans, in addition to manually harvesting beans from local robusta coffee plants. A comprehensive analysis was performed to examine vital chemical elements such as fats and caffeine.

Results showed that civet beans had significantly higher total fat levels compared to those collected directly from the trees, while caffeine, protein, and acidity levels were slightly lower. Researchers suggest that the reduced acidity may be attributed to fermentation occurring during digestion.

Notable differences in volatile organic compounds were also found between civet coffee and regular coffee beans. Several components usually present in traditional coffee beans were either absent in civet coffee or present at very low levels.

The researchers propose that the elevated fat concentration in civet coffee could enhance its distinctive aroma and flavor, while the lower protein amount might reduce bitterness.

Sinu emphasizes that confining civets for kopi luwak production is inhumane, and the aspiration is to advance artificial fermentation techniques that yield coffee with similar chemical profiles.

“We theorize that the gut microbiome plays a role in the fermentation process,” notes Sinu. “By identifying the enzymes involved in digestion and fermentation, we may find ways to replicate civet coffee without using the animals.”