theophylline
thee-OF-uh-lin
Definition
A chemical compound belonging to the methylxanthine class, found naturally in certain plants and used in this context as a chemical marker to identify caffeinated residues.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek 'theos' (god) and 'phyllon' (leaf), the term was coined in the 19th century to describe this alkaloid found in tea leaves, which was figuratively referred to as the 'divine leaf'.
In the news
The article explains that theophylline, once thought to be a unique 'fingerprint' for cacao, is also present in yaupon holly, making it unreliable for distinguishing between the two plants in archaeological samples.
Ancient cacao DNA has been recovered from two pottery fragments dug out of eleventh and twelfth century feasting pits at Etowah in Georgia, reported as the first clear evidence that cacao consumption was part of the Mississippian world
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com