General Foods Limited

Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Donald T Kearney

Saul N Katz

Gerald J Vogel

Charles T Moorman

Belkis K Akpinar

This invention relates to an improved process for steaming and later extracting roasted and ground coffee and the product of such process. The process comprises vacuum steaming roasted and ground coffee in a percolator at a temperature less than 200.degree. F. at a pressure of from 10' to 27'(Hg) and recovering the steam aroma produced by passing same through a wedge-wire draw-off apparatus, the draw-off apparatus comprising a helically wound wire assemblage being internal to the percolator. Thereafter the coffee is percolated to extract solids therefrom and the extract and aroma are combined and dehydrated to form a soluble coffee product.

Process of steaming and percolating coffee

An improved method for aromatizing soluble coffee is described which results in a higher fixation of grinder gas aromas on a glyceride substrate and an improved quality jar aroma. The method involves liquid-liquid contact of the water phase, normally drained from equilibrated grinder gas and discarded, with a glyceride to recover valuable coffee aromatics in the glyceride. Further, reflux of liquid carbon dioxide is used to recover yet more valuable coffee aromatics in the glyceride. A 25 to 70% increase in aromatic yield is realized with an improvement to the aromatic quality of the aromatized glyceride and thereby the aromatized soluble coffee.

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Bayonne, NJ, United States of America

Donald T Kearney