A new coffee disinfectant is on the way

COFFEE HUSK - WHAT IS IT?

The new project is being carried out by two professors at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany. Professor of Chemistry Nikolai Kuhnert and Professor of Microbiology Matthias Ullrich. According to a press release, the pair of scientists have long been interested in the antibacterial and antiviral properties of natural substances such as quince, rhododendrons and especially coffee.

In collaboration with Bremen-based companies ProPure - Protect and Just In Air, and thanks to a €100,000 grant from Bremer Aufbau-Bank, Kuhnert and Ullrich will develop a new disinfectant that they say is more effective and more usable than other products currently available.

The scientists from Germany will use coffee husks for the product. This is the fibrous husk of the coffee bean that is disposed of during the roasting process. It is this excess material from the coffee that the scientists want to use. Kuhnert says they will take supplies of coffee husks from local coffee roasters in Bremen.

AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY DISINFECTANT

By using natural ingredients, the coffee husk disinfectant will be eco-friendly, organic and sustainable. As a result, this disinfectant could have wider applications.

Scientists hope that this eco-friendly disinfectant will find its way onto airplanes, public transportation, and perhaps even into hospitals. The new coffee-based disinfectant is still in production, and it will take a few more months for scientists in Germany to get it out into the world. But keep your eyes peeled, every coffee drinker should definitely have a coffee-based disinfectant at home.