Process for treating coffee beans with enzyme-containing solution under pressure to reduce bitterness

#This application relates to a process for treating green or partially roasted coffee beans to improve flavor and reduce bitterness in the resulting roast and ground coffee products. This application further relates to a preferred process for enhancing the level of desirable flavor and aroma components in such coffee products.

#Coffee products referred to as "Toddy" coffee have been found to have preferred aroma and flavor characteristics relative to conventionally prepared roast and ground coffee products. "Toddy" coffee has been described as mild and aromatic with a sweet, caramel-like taste. The preferred aroma and flavor character of "Toddy" coffee is based on relatively high levels of certain desirable coffee aroma and flavor components. These desirable flavor components include aldehydes, diketones, pyrazines, and caramel compounds such as furaneol.

#The preferred aroma and flavor character of "Toddy" coffee is also due to a much lower level of certain undesirable coffee flavor components. These undesirable flavor components include the guaiacols, as well as other phenolic compounds. Guaiacols contribute a bitter, burnt, smoky-type flavor impression to the coffee. Compared to "Toddy" coffee products, conventionally prepared roast and ground coffee products have a more bitter and burnt flavor character due to a significantly higher level of the guaiacols.

#The present invention relates to a process for treating coffee beans to reduce the bitterness of the resulting roast and ground coffee products. This process comprises the steps of:

#(1) providing coffee beans selected from green coffee beans, and partially roasted green coffee beans; and

#(2) treating the coffee beans with a treatment solution containing an effective amount of an enzyme selected from cell-wall-digesting enzymes, cell-storage-component-digesting enzymes, phenol oxidase enzymes and mixtures thereof for a period of from about 1 to about 90 minutes at a temperature of from about 20.degree. to about 100.degree. C. and under a pressure of at least about 250 psi.