Supercritical carbon dioxide decaffeination of acidified coffee
AssigneeLiquid Carbonic Corporation
InventorsPeter T. Kazlas, Richard D. Novak, Raymond J. Robey
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method of decaffeinating green coffee beans without adversely affecting their acidity or the flavor of coffee beverages produced from them. The invention also relates to a method useful with supercritical decaffeination, in particular with caffeine extraction using supercritical carbon dioxide. In accordance with the invention, green coffee beans are subjected to a treatment by contacting them with an acidic fluid containing an organic acid that is not soluble in supercritical carbon dioxide, preferably an aqueous citric acid solution, prior to or simultaneously with decaffeination.
Claims21
A method of treating green coffee beans comprising contacting green coffee beans with an aqueous solution of an organic acid which is insoluble in supercritical carbon dioxide, said organic acid being selected from the group consisting of tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, ascorbic acid, phenylacetic acid and oxalic acid, maintaining said green coffee beans in contact with said aqueous solution until a predetermined degree of acidification of said green coffee beans has occurred by absorption of said aqueous solution by said green coffee beans, said predetermined degree of acidification being that obtained which is equivalent to the use of a citric acid solution which has a citric acid concentration of between about 0.25% and about 3.0% by weight and the weight ratio of citric acid solution to green coffee beans is from about 1:3 to about 1:1 and decaffeinating said acidified green coffee beans by extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.