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Brazilian scientists have discovered a protein in coffee that gives people a buzz similar to the pain reliever morphine, the Daily Mail reports.

The 'previously unknown protein fragments' had morphine-like effects that also had 'mildly tranquilising' qualities, the scientists said.

Morphine is a drug that acts directly on the central nervous system to relieve pain. It also has a high potential for addiction.

Tests on laboratory mice showed that the opioid peptides, which are naturally occurring biological molecules, appeared to have a longer-lasting effect on the mice than morphine itself.

The state-owned Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa, along with University of Brasilia said the discovery has 'biotechnological potential' for the health foods industry.

It could also help to alleviate stress in animals bound for the slaughterhouse, they claim.

The discovery came when the two organisations were collaborating on how to improve the quality of coffee grains by combining coffee genes in new ways.

They studied the coffee's genome sequence and uncovered proteins that shared properties with those in humans.

'This genetic library has been extremely important for our research and we are already looking for other results with different public and private partners,' said Vinecky's research supervisor Carlos Bloch Jr.

The work is the culmination of ten year's worth of research by the teams.

It was originally patented in 2006 and published in the journal Plos One in 2012.

The team have now applied to the Brazilian government for patents for the seven proteins they have identified.