Coffee seeds present slow germination, increasing hence the period of formation
of seedlings. The cause that slow germination is not elucidated yet. Apparently, the diffusion of
gases and water has a secondary role as compared with the effect of inhibitors present. The present
research work was developed in the Seed Sector of the Agriculture Department and in the Chemistry
Department of the Universidade Federal de Lavras. In a previous research by utilizing lettuce
seeds as an indicator of inhibitors and aqueous extract of spermoderm (silvery film), the presence
of inhibitors in this tissue was evidenced. In a second step, the aqueous step of the silvery film was
submitted to a fractionating, in vitro test. It was observed by means of that test, that the active
fraction was in the methanol phase, which was concentrated under vacuum and eluted through gel
silica column with methanol, distilled water and 0.1M HCl. After concentration under vacuum, of
active fraction gave rised to a white solid, which showed itself homogenous according to the thin
layer chromatography analysis with gel silica plates. By means of the infrared, mass and 1H and
13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, the caffeine structure was ascribed to such a solid.
It follows that spermoderm may contribute to the slow germination of coffee seeds, possibly due
to the presence of caffeine.