Decaf coffee beans have become quite a hit in the coffee universe. This is probably because of the so-called "health benefits" that they can provide the drinker.
Some say that decaffeinated coffee is the healthier variant as caffeine can be potentially harmful if consumed excessively. So by effectively taking out the caffeine present on the coffee beans, the drinker will have fewer possibilities to have caffeine-related health problems. So how is caffeine really extracted from the coffee beans? Are the processes involved to make decaf coffee really safe?
There are different ways of coming up with decaffeinated coffee beans that were invented and utilized throughout the history of mankind. The first instance of taking out caffeine came around the year 1903, but because of the potentially harmful chemicals used in the first processes, more and more revisions were made in order to ensure that decaf coffee will turn out healthy. There are two known decaffeinating processes commonly utilized today: the direct and indirect processes.
The direct method requires the coffee beans to undergo steaming. The beans are steamed for about thirty minutes to open their pores so that caffeine can easily be extracted. After the steaming process, a solvent which can extract caffeine (preferably methylene chloride or ethyl acetate) is used to rinse the beans. The beans are soaked in the solvent for 12 hours to ensure that caffeine is really taken out. After rinsing, the beans are steamed once again to take out most of the residual solvent present on the beans. Up to this point, there are still little traces of solvent but these can easily be removed by the roasting process.
Unlike in the direct method, the solvent used to take out caffeine in the indirect method does not interact directly with the beans. The indirect method requires the beans to be soaked in hot water so that the caffeine, along with the other nutrients residing in coffee, can be extracted. Then a solvent would be used to separate the caffeine from the coffee solution. Afterwards, the caffeine-free solution will be reintroduced to the beans so that they can reabsorb the flavor. The decaf coffee beans from this method can also be called as "water processed" because water is used to initiate the process rather than steam.
Decaf coffee beans are entirely safe depending on the solvent used. For you to have peace of mind on the beans' safety, contact the coffee beans manufacturer to inquire about the solvents used.
Some say that decaffeinated coffee is the healthier variant as caffeine can be potentially harmful if consumed excessively. So by effectively taking out the caffeine present on the coffee beans, the drinker will have fewer possibilities to have caffeine-related health problems. So how is caffeine really extracted from the coffee beans? Are the processes involved to make decaf coffee really safe?
There are different ways of coming up with decaffeinated coffee beans that were invented and utilized throughout the history of mankind. The first instance of taking out caffeine came around the year 1903, but because of the potentially harmful chemicals used in the first processes, more and more revisions were made in order to ensure that decaf coffee will turn out healthy. There are two known decaffeinating processes commonly utilized today: the direct and indirect processes.
The direct method requires the coffee beans to undergo steaming. The beans are steamed for about thirty minutes to open their pores so that caffeine can easily be extracted. After the steaming process, a solvent which can extract caffeine (preferably methylene chloride or ethyl acetate) is used to rinse the beans. The beans are soaked in the solvent for 12 hours to ensure that caffeine is really taken out. After rinsing, the beans are steamed once again to take out most of the residual solvent present on the beans. Up to this point, there are still little traces of solvent but these can easily be removed by the roasting process.
Unlike in the direct method, the solvent used to take out caffeine in the indirect method does not interact directly with the beans. The indirect method requires the beans to be soaked in hot water so that the caffeine, along with the other nutrients residing in coffee, can be extracted. Then a solvent would be used to separate the caffeine from the coffee solution. Afterwards, the caffeine-free solution will be reintroduced to the beans so that they can reabsorb the flavor. The decaf coffee beans from this method can also be called as "water processed" because water is used to initiate the process rather than steam.
Decaf coffee beans are entirely safe depending on the solvent used. For you to have peace of mind on the beans' safety, contact the coffee beans manufacturer to inquire about the solvents used.
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