A method for the manufacture of a foaming coffee powder and coffee powder resulting therefrom

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a freeze-dried coffee powder, the method comprising: (a) providing a coffee extract having from 40 wt % to 55 wt % solids: (b) high-shear mixing the coffee extract in a rotor/stator aerator with added gas to form a foamed coffee extract, the gas being added in an amount of from 1 NL/kg to 5 NL/kg of coffee extract, wherein the rotor/stator aerator is maintained at a pressure of less than 2 bar and is configured to subject the coffee extract to a shear of from 7,500 to 20,000 s−1 in a single pass having a residency time of at least 1 second, (c) cooling the foamed coffee extract to below −40° C. without shear, or with low shear, to form a frozen coffee extract, (d) grinding the frozen coffee extract to a powder; and (c) drying the powder, wherein the step (c) of cooling the foamed coffee extract to below −40° C. comprises: (i) cooling the foamed coffee extract to a first temperature; (ii) cooling the foamed coffee extract from the first temperature to a second temperature lower than the first temperature; and (iii) cooling the foamed coffee extract from the second temperature to below −40° C., wherein the first temperature is 1° C. above a freezing point of the foamed coffee extract and wherein the second temperature is 3° C. below the freezing point, wherein step (ii) has a duration of from 30 minutes to 5 hours, preferably 1 to 4 hours, and wherein the foamed coffee extract obtained in step (b) is maintained at a pressure of less than 2 bar until the frozen coffee extract is formed in step (c).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.