Coffee beans: Animal or plant? Uncovering their true identity!

Coffee beans: Animal or plant? Uncovering their true identity!

Coffee beans are a popular food that are used to make coffee drinks. However, there is some controversy regarding its identity. Some believe that coffee beans are animals, while others believe that they are plants. So, who is right? Let's unravel this mystery.

Origin and growth environment

First, let's look at the origin and growth environment of coffee beans. In fact, coffee beans are not extracted from animals, but from the fruit produced by a plant called "coffee tree".

These fruits are often called "coffee cherries" because they are red or yellow when ripe and have an appearance similar to that of regular cherries. When these fruits are ripe, people will pick them and use a process to extract the seeds (which we call "coffee beans") inside.

Characteristics of plants

Since coffee beans are extracted from the fruit of the coffee tree, they should have some characteristics of the plant. In fact, the coffee tree is a typical plant, which has components such as roots, stems, leaves and flowers.

Although coffee beans themselves may look like seeds or nuts, they actually belong to a group of plants called "seeds." This means that they are physiologically closer to plants than to animals.

Chemical composition

Further supporting the idea that coffee beans are plants is their chemical composition. Studies have shown that coffee beans are rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

In addition, roasting is also required during the production process. Roasting causes chemical reactions in the coffee beans and releases aromas and flavors. These have nothing to do with animals, further proving that coffee beans are indeed plants.

Nutritional Value

Coffee beans are not only favored for making coffee drinks, but also highly regarded for their rich nutritional value. They contain a large number of antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin C.

In addition, coffee beans also contain some minerals, such as magnesium, potassium and zinc, etc. These are characteristics of plants and are not common in animals.

in conclusion

To sum up, from the aspects of origin, growth environment, plant characteristics, chemical composition and nutritional value, we can conclude that coffee beans are indeed plants rather than animals.

Even though they go through a complex series of processing steps on their way to becoming one of the main ingredients in our favorite coffee beverage, this doesn’t change the fact that they come from the plant kingdom.