You’ve heard about the mushroom coffee craze (and if you haven’t, you should read up on it and all its reported health benefits). Now, scientists in Australia want you to stir your favorite (or not-so-favorite) veggie into your cup of morning joe: broccoli coffee. Or, more specifically, broccoli powder to add some green to your caffeine.
Australian government science agency CSIRO and the agriculture group Hort Innovation created powder from whole broccoli. It’s produced “using a combination of selected pre-treatment and drying processes to retain the natural color, flavor and nutrient composition of fresh broccoli,” explained a CSIRO blog post.
One serving of this powder (two tablespoons) contains vitamins B6 and E as well as fiber and manganese. It’s also high in protein and has “health-promoting bioactive phytochemicals.”
“You need five [servings] of veggies today. One [serving] of veggies is 75 grams. When you convert it to powder, it’s 7.5 grams,” CSIRO’s lead researcher, Mary Ann Augustin, told BuzzFeed News. Aside from coffee, you “could put that in muffins or noodles or anything in a normal diet.”
It can also be stirred into smoothies and soups, according to the company.
Check out the video on this product below:
Broccoli powder benefits
According to Livestrong, broccoli powder contains beta-carotene, which is an anti-cancer antioxidant.
Nutritionist Elizabeth Lipski told the site that it may help people suffering from fibromyalgia — long-term body pain and tenderness — as well.
SF Gate noted that, in a 2012 study, broccoli sprout powder decreased blood triglyceride levels in type 2 diabetes patients. In addition to heart health, broccoli powder may also reportedly improve liver, colon and prostate health.
Why broccoli powder?
CSIRO created this broccoli powder as part of a larger research project aiming to reduce vegetable waste by “creating healthy food products from ‘ugly’ produce,” according to The Guardian.
Also, research shows “the average Australian is still not eating the recommended daily intake of vegetables a day, and options such as broccoli powder will help address this,” John Lloyd, Hort Innovation’s CEO, said.
Additionally, the “powders are an option for farmers who want to produce value-added vegetable ingredients for the lucrative functional food markets,” Augustin said.
Can I get this broccoli powder?
Not yet — but they’re working on it.
In a statement sent to Metro, CSIRO said the next step would be taking the powder into “further product development and consumer sensory evaluation trials.”
CSIRO is also seeking business partners to help commercialize “a range of food products with broccoli powder.”
The company continued on to say that it’s too early in the development to know “regarding shipments and commercial markets” to the U.S. and elsewere. Australia, if anything, will test it out first.
More importantly, does broccoli coffee taste good?
#Broccolatte anyone?? Maybe… or maybe not. You might enjoy our new broccoli powder more in spag bol. ALSO: Not only does two spoonfuls = 1 serve of veggies, it helps cut down on food loss! https://t.co/qxIr5UzJes ^EK pic.twitter.com/5lIPrDCdBC
— CSIRO (@CSIROnews) June 6, 2018
Broccoli coffee isn’t currently on any café menus overseas, but CSIRO tested brocoli powder in a Melbourne joint and the brave soul who tried a “broccoli latte” seemed ok with it, then perplexed, then disgusted.
Since we can’t try it out for you — at least not yet — here’s one product on the market in the States: USDA Organic broccoli powder from BioFinest.
It could be the next big thing to hit the coffee world (and the food world in general). So go try it, you trendsetter.
