How are coffee, tea and colas decaffeinated?!
How are coffee, tea and colas decaffeinated?
Answers:
Caffeine occurs naturally in more than 60 plants, including:
the arabica plant, which produces coffee beans
the Theobroma cacao tree, which produces the beans that are the primary ingredient in chocolate.
kola nuts, which many cola drink products are made with
the Thea sinensis plant, whose leaves are used for teas
When separated from its sources, caffeine is a white, bitter-tasting powder. See How Caffeine Works for more information about caffeine.
Several methods are used to remove caffeine from its natural sources:
Methylene chloride processing
Ethyl acetate processing
Carbon dioxide processing
Water processing
Methylene chloride is a chemical used as a solvent to extract caffeine from many raw materials. Molecules of caffeine bond to molecules of methylene chloride. The materials are softened in a water bath or in steam. The next step is to process the materials with methylene chloride by either of two methods:
Using the "direct" method, caffeine is removed by directly soaking the materials in methylene chloride.
Using the "indirect" method, caffeine, which is water soluble, is extracted by soaking the materials in water. Many of the flavors and oils are also extracted during this process, so the solution is treated with methylene chloride and then returned to the material for reabsorption of the flavorings.
Ethyl acetate processed products are referred to as "naturally decaffeinated" because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in many fruits. Caffeine is extracted in the same way as with methylene chloride processing, but ethyl acetate is the solvent.
To decaffeinate using carbon dioxide (CO2), water-softened materials are "pressure cooked" with the gas. At high pressures and high temperatures, carbon dioxide is in a supercritical state, acting as both a gas and a liquid. It becomes a solvent with its small, nonpolar molecules attracting the small caffeine molecules. Since flavor molecules are larger, they remain intact, which is why this process retains the flavor of the material better.
Caffeine extraction with water is used primarily for coffee decaffeination. The process is similar to the "indirect" method used in methylene chloride processing, but no chemicals are used. After the caffeine is leached out of the material by soaking in hot water for a period of time, the solution is then passed through a carbon filter for caffeine removal. The water is then returned to the beans for reabsorption of flavors and oils. In the "Swiss Water Process," the same method is used, but instead of soaking in water, the beans are soaked in a coffee-flavored solution. This results in the caffeine being extracted without removing the coffee flavors.
Caffeine is not removed completely using any of these methods, but under federal regulations in the United States, caffeine levels must not be above 2.5 percent of the product in order for a product to be labeled "decaffeinated."
Most of the caffeine removed in processing is manufactured for use in other products, such as medicines and soft drinks. For example, less than 5 percent of the caffeine found in cola drinks is actually from the kola nut, and many of the popular "high caffeine" soft drinks do not contain kola nut extracts at all. The caffeine content of soft drinks is primarily, and sometimes completely, from the addition of caffeine extracted from decaffeination processes.
There are several methods used to remove caffeine from its natural sources:
* Methylene chloride processing
* Ethyl acetate processing
* Carbon dioxide processing
* Water processing
Methylene chloride is a chemical used as a solvent to extract caffeine from many raw materials. Molecules of caffeine bond to molecules of methylene chloride. The materials are softened in a water bath or in steam. The next step is to process the materials with methylene chloride by either of two methods:
* Using the "direct" method, caffeine is removed by directly soaking the materials in methylene chloride.
* Using the "indirect" method, caffeine, which is water soluble, is extracted by soaking the materials in water. Many of the flavors and oils are also extracted during this process, so the solution is treated with methylene chloride and then returned to the material for reabsorption of the flavorings.
Ethyl acetate processed products are referred to as "naturally decaffeinated" because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in many fruits. Caffeine is extracted in the same way as with methylene chloride processing, but ethyl acetate is the solvent.
To decaffeinate using carbon dioxide (CO2), water-softened materials are "pressure cooked" with the gas. At high pressures and high temperatures, carbon dioxide is in a supercritical state, acting as both a gas and a liquid. It becomes a solvent with its small, nonpolar molecules attracting the small caffeine molecules. Since flavor molecules are larger, they remain intact, which is why this process retains the flavor of the material better.
Caffeine extraction with water is used primarily for coffee decaffeination. The process is similar to the "indirect" method used in methylene chloride processing, but no chemicals are used. After the caffeine is leached out of the material by soaking in hot water for a period of time, the solution is then passed through a carbon filter for caffeine removal. The water is then returned to the beans for reabsorption of flavors and oils. In the "Swiss Water Process," the same method is used, but instead of soaking in water, the beans are soaked in a coffee-flavored solution. This results in the caffeine being extracted without removing the coffee flavors.
Caffeine is one of the hot topics today among health-conscious people. It is consumed by 80-90% of American adults on a daily basis, making it one of the most commonly used pharmacologically active substances in our society. With such vast numbers getting their caffeine kicks, questions arise such as "How does caffeine affect my body? How much is safe to consume? What are the alternatives?"
First off, what is it? Caffeine is a bitter white alkaloid, the methylxanthine called 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine. It is a natural substance found in at least 63 different types of plants, coffee beans, tea leaves and cocoa being the most common.
Physiological Effects
When consumed in moderation, caffeine, a mild central nervous system stimulant, can have numerous positive effects on the body such as a feeling of increased energy, uplifted mood, increased focus and reaction time. A small amount of caffeine may benefit people suffering from mild depression.
On the downside, even small doses can have undesirable physiological effects on the body that include anxiety, increased blood pressure and pulse, constricting superficial blood vessels, difficulty falling asleep and disruption of rapid eye movement and dreaming while asleep. According to some studies, caffeine causes calcium depletion. It also increases the painkilling effect of aspirin and acetaminophen and is thus often found, for instance, in migraine medicines.
Cut Back
Both the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society have issued strong statements regarding the effects of caffeine. Many health practitioners and nutritionists will also advise consumers to decrease your consumption gradually over a period of days or weeks to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
One of the best ways to cut back on caffeine, or eliminate it almost entirely, is by drinking non-caffeinated or decaffeinated tea. First, there are a couple of things you need to know.
Surprisingly, tea, per pound of leaf, contains more caffeine than coffee, per pound of bean. However, since more ground coffee is required to brew a single cup than tea is required to brew one cup of tea, the average cup of tea contains less than half the caffeine of the average cup of coffee.
The caffeine content of tea depends on where it was grown, brewing method used, type of tea and the temperature of the water used for brewing it. Contrary to popular opinion, green tea does not always contain less caffeine than black tea, which is another surprise for most people.
How to Remove Caffeine from Tea
The biggest surprise is that approximately 80% of the water soluble caffeine in tea is released during the first 30 seconds of brewing. So, to remove most of the caffeine from your tea, simply pour boiling water over the loose-leaf tea leaves in your teapot, allow the tea to steep for 30 seconds, and then discard the liquid. Use the same tea leaves with fresh hot water to brew a close to fully decaffeinated cup of tea for drinking.
You will find this process highly effective, allowing you to enjoy the originally caffeinated teas you love without major concern over caffeine content. Test it for yourself and you will see that it works.
Be sure to use only loose-leaf, premium-grade teas instead of the tea in teabags. Unlike teabags loose-leaf teas can be brewed over and over again until you have depleted the leaves of their wonderful natural flavor. This means that the same teaspoonful of tea can produce two, three or more cups of tea all from the same leaves. It is nearly impossible to brew a second worthwhile-tasting cup of coffee from the same grounds, or a good second cup of tea from most of the off-the-shelf supermarket teas sold in teabags.
No More Jitters!
If you have been a diehard coffee devotee for years, we recommend you switch over to caffeinated strong black teas first, so you won't miss your little kick. Slowly start decaffeinating these same quality leaves until you no longer feel withdrawal symptoms―typically headaches and sluggishness. In fact, you may start feeling better than ever soon―after all, besides incredible taste, tea is considered by many as the healthiest beverage on the planet. To get started, find someone who is knowledgeable about the various types of tea and willing to help you with your selection, based on your personal taste preferences.
they simply leave out the caffine powder when they put the coffee/ tee/ colas in the container.