Supercritical treatment of carbon dioxide-- the most expensive treatment of low-caffeine coffee

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Coffee is very rich in substances, but the greatest impact on the human body is always caffeine. Coffee with a small amount of caffeine is called decaf (Decaf Coffee). How much does the word "small amount" mean? Let's simply look at a few sets of data and make it clear.

The content of caffeine in Arabica coffee is 1.2% to 1.6%, while the content of caffeine in robusta caffeine is about 2.8%, about twice that of the former. If the caffeine content in the coffee drink does not exceed 0.3%, then the cup of coffee can be named "decaf" by the ICO. The FDA of the United States holds that the standard of "decaf coffee" is that 97% of the caffeine in the original coffee must be extracted from the coffee beans, and there is no strict limit on the exact amount of caffeine in the raw beans of the original coffee.

A cup of regular coffee with about 350 milliliters contains 100 to 180 milligrams of caffeine, while the same cup of decaffeinated coffee usually contains less than 5 milligrams. Caffeine content has plummeted to this point, but it does not mean that it does not contain caffeine, nor does it mean that it has completely lost its exciting and refreshing effect.

There is less natural decaffeinated coffee, and most of the decaffeinated coffee we drink at this stage is the product of artificial decaffeination. There are various decontamination techniques for raw beans, but they all promote the expansion of the bean body (such as with the help of water or steam), extract caffeine by osmotic technology, and then restore the water content of raw beans to between 8% and 12.5%. This de-causal treatment, not to mention the loss of flavor, is bound to affect the structure of raw bean cells, accelerate aging, and shorten the effective shelf life.

Supercritical carbon dioxide treatment (CO? Process): carbon dioxide supercritical treatment is to soak raw coffee beans in liquid carbon dioxide. Under high pressure, carbon dioxide is in a semi-gaseous and semi-liquid state. In this state, carbon dioxide can actively combine with caffeine, and caffeine is finally removed by an exhaust activated carbon filter.

Either way, the extracted caffeine is resold to cola or pharmaceutical companies for reuse, and caffeine is not wasted at all. As for the flavor of decaf coffee, Viagra can only be said to be unflattering here. You can't have both fish and bear's paw. Since you need decaf coffee more, you can only give up the flavor.

The method of supercritical CO2 extraction of caffeine is to make coffee beans absorb water, expand to twice the size, loose caffeine molecules in the bean body, add carbon dioxide and give more than 100 atmospheric pressure (Atm) in the water, so that water and carbon dioxide are mixed to create a soda environment. Carbon dioxide attracts caffeine molecules like a magnet, and when caffeine is captured by carbon dioxide, caffeine begins to move. Carbon dioxide is highly selective and does not capture carbohydrates and proteins in coffee beans, because carbohydrates and proteins are the main components of flavor and smell in coffee beans. When it dries naturally after the extraction, caffeinated water can be easily separated from caffeine and used for other commercial purposes.

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