Caffeine
has become America's most popular drug by far. 90%
of Americans consume caffeine in one form or another
every single day. Most of it comes from drinking coffee.
But
if you're a coffee lover who prefers to avoid caffeine,
you can still enjoy a cup of coffee that delivers
rich flavor with decaffeinated coffee.
It's
how the caffeine is extracted from coffee beans that
is a mystery for most of us.
These
are some of the methods currently used for decaffeinating.
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Direct
Contact Method
In
the direct contact method the beans come directly in contact
with decaffeinating agents, such as methylene chloride,
after being softened by water or steam. Caffeine is removed
by directly soaking the materials in the methylene chloride.
Indirect
Contact Method
With
the indirect contact method a water and coffee solution
is used to draw off the caffeine. The solution containing
the caffeine is then treated with a decaffeinating agent,
such as ethyl acetate, and mixed back into the beans for
reabsorption of the flavorings.
Sometimes
this method is referred to as naturally decaffeinated because
ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in many fruits.
Water
Processing
This
process is similar to the indirect method, except no chemicals
are used. The coffee beans are soaked in hot water then
the solution is passed through a carbon filter to remove
the caffeine.
Swiss
Water Process
In
the Swiss Water Process method, the caffeine is still extracted
with carbon filters but the beans soak in hot water that
is saturated with coffee flavor. The result is caffeine
removal without removing the coffee flavors.
It's
referred to as Swiss Water Process because a Swiss company
originally developed and patented the procedure.
Carbon
Dioxide Processing
With
this method the beans are soaked with water-softened materials
in highly compressed carbon dioxide. The small caffeine
molecules are extracted from the beans allowing the larger
flavor molecules to remain untouched. This method retains
the best overall flavor of all of the methods used.
Not
all of the caffeine is completely removed with any of these
current methods. To qualify as decaffeinated coffee in the
United States, coffee must have at least 97 percent of its
caffeine removed.
Coffee
beans are decaffeinated before they are roasted because
that's when it has the least effect on the beans flavor.
The
reason decaffeinated coffee costs more is because of the
additional labor, equipment and material needed to remove
the caffeine.
So
what do they do with all of that caffeine? The extracted
caffeine is manufactured and used mostly in medicines and
soft drinks.
As
an example, the caffeine content in soft drinks mainly comes
from the caffeine extracted from these decaffeination processes.
The kola nut accounts for less than 5 percent of the caffeine
in cola drinks.
For
the past 30 years scientists have done extensive research
on coffee and the effects of caffeine. New research has
even shown that caffeine has many positive effects.
Some
of these effects include more energy, the ability to concentrate
better and has even been used as an appetite suppressant.
But
not all scientists agree with these findings and coffee
and the effects of caffeine will continue to be thoroughly
researched.
There
will always be a market for decaffeinated coffee because
some people just love their coffee without the caffeine
buzz.
The
rest of the 100 million regular coffee drinkers either love
their coffee for the wonderful flavor or enjoy the effects
of a caffeine boost. For most of us, I'm sure it's a little
of both.
About
The Author
Gary
Gresham is the webmaster for http://www.perfectcoffees.com
where you can purchase quality coffee, tea, cups & mugs,
coffee gifts and delicious desserts online. He offers a
free monthly coffee newsletter with articles like these
at http://www.perfectcoffees.com/newsletter.html
Gary@perfectcoffees.com
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