CH Biotech’s new biostimulant, Fu Tai No. 3, helps coffee trees maintain internal balance under stress and improves cupping quality. Photo credit: CH Biotech
A new biostimulant technology derived from recycled chicken feathers revolutionizes coffee cultivation. In a presentation at the Asian International Coffee Conference in December, Chuan Lee, director of CH Biotech’s Flavor Compounds Center in Taiwan, highlighted the key benefits of Homeostatic Systemins, which include plant nutrient uptake efficiency, flavor precursor accumulation, improvements in fruit quality, and metabolic pathways associated with volatile aroma compounds.
Homeostatic Systemins Help Maintain Metabolic Balance and Stability
CH Biotech conducted the first comprehensive scientific study in Taiwan that integrated soil and leaf nutrient analysis, coffee fruit metabolomics, volatile aroma profiles, and sensory performance data, while simultaneously showcasing cross-regional results from demonstration sites in Taiwan and Indonesia.
Biotech noted that trials conducted across various coffee-growing regions in Taiwan, including mid- and high-elevation areas, demonstrated significant improvements in plant growth, uniformity of fruit ripening, and the accumulation of flavor precursors, such as sucrose and malic acid, in coffee trees treated with Homeostatic Systemins.
The development of this technology took nearly six years and involved extensive cross-disciplinary collaboration. Rather than prioritizing speed to market, the team focused on understanding how plants regulate and maintain internal metabolic balance under fluctuating environmental conditions.
Based on this work, the team introduced the concept of Homeostatic Systemins, defined as a class of functional peptides with the potential to support plant homeostasis through systemic signaling. The term integrates homeostasis, referring to metabolic stability, and systemins, a category of systemic signaling peptides first identified in tomatos, to describe their role in helping plants maintain metabolic balance and stability under environmental stress.
The active ingredients are derived from recycled chicken feathers, chosen not only for circular economy considerations but also for their highly consistent biochemical composition, with keratin accounting for nearly 90%. This uniformity provides a stable, reproducible foundation for controlled hydrolysis, enabling the reliable conversion of keratin-rich proteins into specific functional peptides with consistent biological activity.
Precision Oriented Peptides Improve Cupping Quality
In an interview with STiR Coffee and Tea, Lee explained: “Precision Oriented Peptides (POPs) lead to more consistent cherry maturity. For a farmer, this means less time spent on manual sorting, reduced harvest labor costs, and more predictable income, allowing them to reinvest in their livelihoods.”
Enabled by POPs technology, the formulation consists of precisely selected functional peptides designed to function as regulatory signals rather than conventional nutritional inputs, particularly under conditions of stress or nutrient imbalance.
Lee emphasized: "POPs represent a shift from 'pushing' the plant to 'empowering' it. We are helping coffee trees find their internal balance under stress, ensuring that the next generation of farmers can still produce world-class coffee despite the changing climate."
Making High-Quality Coffee More Accessible
Determined to prove that high-quality coffee doesn't have to be limited to specific and expensive terroirs like Panama, the 2026 Australian Barista Champion, Gabriel Tan, chose to work with Indonesian growers who used POPs. During his routine at the competition, Tan stated, "Because we cannot replicate the growing conditions in Panama, it is important to invest in new technologies like POPs. This can elevate the inherent qualities of any variety and make high-quality experiences more accessible."
In West Java, farmers like Satrea Amambi had to cut down 10,000 trees because they couldn't survive the rising temperatures. They switched to the resilient "Lini S" variety, which originally lacked the sweetness of top-tier beans. POPs changed that.
POPs activate the sucrose phosphate synthase gene and trigger pathways related to terpenoid biosynthesis. This dual action doesn’t just boost sweetness; it fundamentally enhances the aromatic complexity and flavor articulation, creating the extraordinary sensory profile that led Tan to victory.
CH Biotech offers the new fertilizer under the Fu Tai brand, numbered 1-8 for different plant applications. FuTai No.3 is specifically designed for all varieties of coffee and benefits all stages of growth, from flowering to young fruit and maturation, while Fu Tai No. 2 is used for tea plants. Using Homeostatic Systemins or POPs during coffee cultivation has been scientifically proven to not only enhance plant health but also improve cupping quality by increasing levels of flavor precursors and aroma compounds.