General Foods Limited

Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Lawrence S Brandlein

Vijay Kumar Arora

James P Mahlmann

Steven M Schechter

Gary V Jones

John M Kovtun

A thin, transparent coffee glass is disclosed which is prepared by forming a mixture containing above 4% to 12% water and about 88% to above 96% total coffee derived solids. These solids can further contain up to 20% hydrolyzed mannan and oligomers having a DP from 1 to 10 and up to 10% coffee cellulosic sugars. The coffee melt is characterized by having a glass transition temperature between 30.degree. C. to 80.degree. C. The coffee melt is heated to a temperature of 60.degree. C. to 130.degree. C. and extruded into a thin continuous film, stretched to further form a thin film which is rapidly cooled into a hard coffee glass which is shiny on both sides, dark in color and transparent. This transparent glass is then dried to a stable moisture content. The coffee glass provides a shiny appearance to any coffee product it is combined with an is an excellent means of entrapping and protecting coffee aromas. Furthermore, the coffee glass provides a means for shaping numerous new coffee products. The thin flakes of coffee glass disolve rapidly.

Coffee flakes and process

Coffee is produced by first suspending a bubbling bed thereof under conditions which avoid popping in a heated medium wherein the heating gas is present in excess of 10:1 gas to coffee, the gas being less than 630.degree. F., and thereafter exposing the coffee to a further charge of hot gas at a comparable gas to coffee ratio to complete the roast, the second charge of air being at a temperature equal to or less than the first charge. The roasted coffee which is produced has a roasted whole bean density of from 0.28 to 0.34 gms./cc. When the roasted whole beans are suitably ground, a roasted and ground coffee of 11 to 13.5 oz. per 1000 cc. is produced.

Coffee roasting method

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Englishtown, NJ, United States of America

Lawrence S Brandlein