Decaffeination

The processing methods

The various processing methods currently in use all share the following basic stages:

Steaming: the coffee is steamed to expand the beans volumetrically. This stretches the cellular structure within each bean thus facilitating caffeine extraction.

Extraction: the coffee then undergoes the solvent action of a specific substance authorised by law. This is the stage which differentiates the various processing methods according to which solvent is used (water, carbon dioxide, ethyl acetate, methilene chloride).

Solvent recovering: nearly all the solvent is recuperated and can be used again. This stage is carried out with great care for financial reasons (all products used are very expensive so waste is kept to a minimum), for legal reasons (there are laws which set maximum limits on solvent residue in coffee) and for ecological reasons, since decaffeination companies have to be very sensitive regarding this issue.

Moisture removal: the coffee is returned to its original moisture content.

Packing: the coffee is packed into bags.

Testing: the final product is tested for its residual caffeine content (max. 0,1% allowed by law in Italy and most of the UE), for its residual solvent content (variable according to solvent type) and for its moisture content (max. 11% allowed by Italian law).

the deca processing (.Pdf)