New Ohio State study aims to predict the flavor of coffee beans before roasting

(Scott Rocher / Flickr)Do you start your day with a cup of coffee? A new study at Ohio State University hopes to predict how good those beans are before they’re roasted.Devin Peterson, a distinguished professor at Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, joined Morning Edition Host Stu Osborne to discuss the study.Devin Peterson: The coffee industry is facing some challenges right now broadly. Coffee is a big industry in the U.S. We don't grow a lot of coffee, although areas like Hawaii grow coffee. Puerto Rico used to have some, at least a little less production today. But we do a lot of business in selling coffee, right? There have been a lot of challenges in the current growing environments. How do they allow enough development in these crops that they can still meet the demand, right, of the consumers broadly.Stu Osborne: What qualities are you looking for in young coffee plants to ensure those beans will be such a high quality?Devin Peterson: So it'