Traceability of wild-growing coffee from Ethiopian rainforest by genetic fingerprinting

The control of the origin of raw materials gains more and more in importance for the food industry, especially regarding traceability. Furthermore, protection of high quality products against food debasement or product piracy is demanded. In this article we introduce the use of a novel molecular biology method for the identification of wild coffee obtained from the Bonga forest, Ethiopia. The method establishes unambiguous patterns at the species or regional level, without requiring knowledge of the exact genomic sequences or in-between variances of the different samples analyzed. Based on this technique, safeguarding of high-value raw materials can be assured. Due to its robust nature, the method can feasibly be adapted to all kinds of biological materials and, for the first time therefore, allow area-wide species monitoring within food analysis.