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Ultrastructural Characterization of Oil Bodies in Different Coffea Species

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Abstract

In the coffee seed, the lipid component known as coffee oil is stored in the endosperm tissue as an energy reserve for germination and post-germination growth. This coffee constituent is present in the form of subcellular spherical oil bodies (“oleosomes”) in a typical size range of 0.2–2.5 μm. These particles are filled with an osmiophilic matrix of triglycerides, delimited by a single protein membrane, typical of oleaginous plant tissues. The object of this study is to characterize the morphology and distribution of oil bodies in different coffee species. In particular, we studied Indian samples of Coffea arabica, C. canephora, C. liberica, C. stenophylla and C. salvatrix. After appropriate fixation and preparation, the samples were examined and oil bodies characterized by optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Oil bodies morphology, tissue distribution and size distribution were determined and several features of these subcellular structures were observed and discussed for the first time in the framework of a coffee inter-species comparative study.

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Abbreviations

OM:

Optical microscope

TEM:

Transmission electron microscope

TBO:

Toluidine blue O staining solution

ATcell:

Total area of cell

Acell:

Area of content cell

Aob:

Area of oil bodies

Acw:

Area of cell wall

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra (Central Coffee Research Institute, Dist-Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India) for the precious coffee samples collected for us and Claudio Gamboz (Department of Life sciences, University of Trieste, Italy) for the technical support at the TEM.

L.N. research activity has been carried out in the framework of “Nutrigenomica e consumo di caffè: effetti fisiologici, genetica del gusto e genetica della pianta” Project, partially supported by the POR-FESR 2007–2013 Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia - Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ernesto Illy Foundation, via Flavia 110, 34147, Trieste, Italy

    Paola Crisafulli & Anna Illy

  2. illycaffé Spa, via Flavia 110, 34147, Trieste, Italy

    Luciano Navarini & Fabio Silizio

  3. Department of Life Science, University of Trieste, via Giorgieri 5, 34127, Trieste, Italy

    Alberto Pallavicini

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  1. Paola Crisafulli
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  2. Luciano Navarini
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  3. Fabio Silizio
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  4. Alberto Pallavicini
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  5. Anna Illy
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Correspondence to Luciano Navarini.

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Communicated by: Alan Carvalho Andrade

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Crisafulli, P., Navarini, L., Silizio, F. et al. Ultrastructural Characterization of Oil Bodies in Different Coffea Species. Tropical Plant Biol. 7, 1–12 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12042-013-9132-2

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