Scientists have lastly cracked the code as to why espresso beans extracted from civet cat feces fetch such astonishing costs. The reply is surprisingly easy: being fats.
A brand new examine printed in Scientific Reviews reveals that beans harvested from palm civet dung include a lot increased ranges of fats and flavor-enhancing compounds than beans harvested utilizing typical strategies. The examine supplies the primary concrete chemical rationalization for why kopi luwak, often known as espresso, sells for greater than $1,000 per kilogram.
The method itself appears like one thing a caffeinated mad scientist would dream up. Wild civets eat ripe espresso berries, digest the pulp, and excrete the beans. Farmers then acquire the dung, extract the beans, and promote them at astronomical costs. Though this phenomenon has been occurring for greater than a century, nobody has definitively confirmed whether or not the journey via the civet’s intestines really modifications the beans in any significant approach.
The journey of chemical substances via the gastrointestinal tract
Parati Aresh Sinu and his staff collected 68 fecal samples from wild civets roaming 5 Robusta espresso plantations in India’s Karnataka state in January 2025. Additionally they collected common ripe berries from the identical farm for comparability. After cleansing and grinding each beans, chemical evaluation was carried out.
The distinction was apparent. Civet beans include far more whole fats than hand-harvested beans. Additionally they confirmed elevated ranges of two particular fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), caprylic acid methyl ester and capric acid methyl ester. These compounds are extra than simply chemical substances. They’re taste powerhouses.
“The chemical variations in civet espresso are a results of the fermentation of the beans within the civet’s digestive system, and people variations can affect the ultimate taste of the espresso.”
The researchers clarify that increased fats content material will essentially change the espresso’s aroma and style profile. Alternatively, these two FAMEs can ship one thing surprising: creamy, dairy-like taste notes. This can be a chemical change that happens within the darkness and heat between the civet’s abdomen and intestines.
Questions on roasting stay
Nonetheless, earlier than espresso lovers begin celebrating, the researchers provide two necessary warnings. First, we analyzed the beans earlier than roasting. Roasting is the place espresso really involves life, the place a whole bunch of chemical reactions create the complicated taste we acknowledge as espresso. How the civet’s distinctive chemistry survives such drastic modifications stays unclear.
“The authors warning that they analyzed unroasted beans and that the roasting course of will additional affect the chemical composition of the beans.”
Second, the examine checked out Robusta beans, a heartier however much less well-known relative of Arabica beans. Most business kopi luwak makes use of Arabica beans, which have a unique baseline chemistry. Whether or not Arabica beans bear related modifications within the civet’s digestive system is an open query.
This discovering additionally applies to an ethically complicated time for civet espresso. The explosive progress of the business has led to widespread reviews of civet cats being saved in cages and force-fed berries, a pointy departure from the normal apply of harvesting beans from wild animals. Notably, though the examine solely used wild civet samples, the researchers didn’t explicitly tackle the moral points of the commerce.
Nonetheless, chemical reactions inform a narrative that may’t be ignored. No matter is happening contained in the civet’s physique is actual, it is measurable, and it is affecting the beans in a approach that may really justify no less than a few of the premium. Whether or not it justifies its worth is one other matter completely and can in all probability rely extra on advertising and marketing and mystique than fatty acid methyl esters.
A minimum of for now, we all know this. The world’s costliest espresso is not simply costly due to its uncommon origin story. Chemically talking, poop really issues.
Scientific report: 10.1038/s41598-025-21545-x
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