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Authentication Test Identifies Straight Poop On Civet Coffee

By Kamal N | Update Date: Sep 10, 2013 12:53 PM EDT

Researchers have developed a way to authenticate Kopi Luwak, the unique brew created from the feces of a Southeast Asian creature known as the palm civet.

Kopi Luwak is Indonesian name for “civet coffee”. The “civet coffee” can fetch $150 to $200 per pound which is quite an insisting thing to perform adultery on.

The beverage is not easy to certify from the naked eyes hence it can be difficult to tell whether or not a coffee connoisseur is getting the genuine stuff or a cheap knockoff.

New research led by Osaka University’s Eiichiro Fukusaki has developed the first scientific method to verify that liquids claiming to be Kopi Luwak are, in fact, the real deal.

According to USA Today, the scientists said that they have discovered what they refer to as a “metabolic fingerprint” that allows them to use metabolomics technology in order to authenticate the caffeinated beverage.

Their method can differentiate between Kopi Luwak, ordinary coffee marketed as Kopi Luwak or “watered down” civet coffee mixed with cheaper beans. The unique chemical composition of the actual drink reflects raised malic acid and citric acid levels, as well as a certain inositol/pyroglutamic acid ratio, she added.

“Metabolomics is research that focuses on metabolites, which are substances produced during metabolism (chemical processes such as digestion),” the USA Today reported.

Institute of Food Technologists spokesman Stanley Segall told USA Today’s Cathy Payne that the study was a “very good beginning,” but also cautioned that additional research was needed on the matter.

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