Caffeine was thought to be a deterrent for coffee insects that decrease the crop yield by 80%.
Now researchers in the journal PNAS show that these insects degrade caffeine through their gut microbes since treatment with antibiotics detected caffeine in their system.
Authors isolated several core microorganisms including prominent Pseudomonas species from gut microbiota from seven countries. Re-inoculation of antibiotic-treated insects with an isolated Pseudomonas strain reinstates caffeine-degradation ability confirming their key role.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150714/ncomms8618/full/ncomms8618.html