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備註請放最後面 違者新聞文章刪除

1.媒體來源:

外媒    phys.org

2.記者署名:

 Gaby Clark
 Robert Egan

3.完整新聞標題:

Black Ivory coffee: Elephant gut bacteria may contribute to its smooth,
chocolaty flavor

大象腸道細菌可能有助於其口感順滑，帶有巧克力風味。

4.完整新聞內文:

Black Ivory coffee: Elephant gut bacteria may contribute to its smooth,
chocolaty flavor
by Institute of Science Tokyo

Acinetobacter and several pectin-digesting microbial species are abundant in
the guts of elephants that produce BIC. Lower pectin levels in the partially
digested beans result in fewer bitter compounds being produced when the beans
are roasted, giving BIC a smoother flavor. Credit: Institute of Science Tokyo

Coffee beans that pass through the digestive tracts of animals get their
unique flavors from the activity of gut microbes, report researchers from the
Institute of Science Tokyo. The guts of Asian elephants that produce Black
Ivory coffee (BIC) were rich in pectin-digesting bacteria. Heat-driven
degradation of pectin during roasting makes coffee bitter. Bacterial activity
that reduces the pectin content of BIC could be the source of its smoother,
chocolaty, and less bitter flavor.

黑象牙咖啡：大象腸道細菌可能有助於其口感順滑，帶有巧克力風味。
東京科學 研究所

由加比· 克拉克 編輯 ，羅伯特· 伊根審閱





Coffee's global popularity and flavor diversity

With hundreds of millions of cups consumed every day, coffee is one of the
most popular beverages in the world. Many organic molecules combine to give
coffee its flavor, and nearly every coffee drinker likes a different flavor
profile that is "just theirs." The food industry has developed many ways of
processing coffee beans to alter the ratios of these molecules and create the
unique flavors consumers can enjoy.

One particularly interesting process involves passing coffee beans through
the digestive tracts of animals. An emerging example is Black Ivory coffee
(BIC). BIC is made in only one elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Asian
elephants are fed Arabica coffee cherries, and beans collected from their
dung are processed for human consumption. BIC is prized for its smooth,
chocolaty flavor, and it is less bitter than regular coffee.

咖啡在全球的受歡迎程度和風味多樣性





Research into Black Ivory coffee's unique flavor

A research team led by Associate Professor Takuji Yamada and Research Fellow
Nodoka Chiba from the School of Life Science and Technology, the Institute of
Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, have tried to identify the biochemical
processes that give BIC its unique flavor. Their work, published in the
journal Scientific Reports on November 18, 2025, helps uncover some of the
secrets behind BIC.

"Our previous study revealed that Gluconobacter was the dominant genus in the
gut of civet cats, and it may produce volatile compounds from the coffee
beans, suggesting that microbial metabolism contributes to the coffee aroma,"
says Yamada. He adds, "These findings raised the question of whether the gut
microbiome of elephants similarly influences the flavor of BIC."

對黑象牙咖啡獨特風味的研究





The team analyzed fresh dung from elephants producing BIC, as well as from
control elephants living in the same elephant sanctuary. The only difference
in their diets is that BIC-producing elephants received an additional snack
of bananas, rice bran, and whole coffee cherries. Any differences in the
content and composition of fecal microbes would be due to this snack.

Yamada's team found that BIC-producing elephants' dung was unusually rich in
pectin-digesting enzymes. 16S ribosomal RNA analysis showed that these
elephants also had a more diverse gut microbiome, with an abundance of
Acinetobacter and other pectin-digesting species.

"Interestingly, Acinetobacter has also been detected on the surface of coffee
beans. This suggests that ingestion of coffee beans may lead to the
colonization of specific microbes in the gut of elephants," remarks Yamada.

微生物分析及結果





「有趣的是，在咖啡豆表面也檢測到了不動桿菌。這表明，大象攝入咖啡豆可能會導致特
定微生物在其腸道內定植，」山田評論道。

The role of pectin and future research

Pectin in coffee beans is partially broken down by the heat of roasting and
seems to form bitter-tasting compounds such as 2-furfuryl furan. Previous
studies showed that BIC had much lower levels of 2-furfuryl furan than
regular coffee beans. These earlier findings appear to be explained by the
discovery of pectin-digesting bacteria in the gut of BIC-producing elephants.
Since pectin is partially digested as the beans pass through the elephants'
guts, there is less available to form 2-furfuryl furan when the beans are
roasted.

"Our findings may highlight a potential molecular mechanism by which the gut
microbiota of BIC elephants contributes to the flavor of BIC," says Yamada as
he describes these exciting findings.

果膠的作用及未來研究



山田在描述這些令人興奮的發現時說：“我們的研究結果可能揭示了一種潛在的分子機制
，透過這種機制，BIC 大象的腸道微生物群對 BIC 的風味有所貢獻。”

"Further experimental validation is required to test this hypothesis, such as
a biochemical analysis of coffee bean components before and after passage
through the elephant's digestive tract," he adds, pointing to avenues for
future research into this technique for processing coffee.

Nevertheless, this study provides a foundation for further exploration of
animal-microbiome interactions in food fermentation and flavor development.
Continued research into specific microbial metabolic mechanisms may support
the development of diverse and distinctive flavor profiles in the future!

「還需要進一步的實驗驗證來檢驗這一假設，例如對咖啡豆在通過大象消化道前後的成分
進行生化分析，」他補充道，指出了未來研究這種咖啡加工技術的方向。



5.完整新聞連結 (或短網址)不可用YAHOO、LINE、MSN等轉載媒體:

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-black-ivory-coffee-elephant-gut.html

6.備註:

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