General Foods Limited

Robert A Scarella

Ravi Prasad

Martin Gottesman

Joseph A Musto

Harold W Jacquett

Nicholas I Della Fave

Angelo V Riolo

A process for preparing a liquid aroma containing concentrated coffee aromatic compounds from a grinder gas frost is described. A higher yield of coffee aromatics is enabled, and these aromatics are of a higher quality. Further, the liquid aroma produced is essentially carbon dioxide free. The liquid aroma may be used to aromatize coffee powders, glycerides or other food substrates. Coffee powders aromatized with the liquid aroma are described as having a 'buttery' 'roasted and ground' coffee aroma.

Process for preparing a liquid coffee aroma

Aqueous extracts of roasted coffee are stripped of aroma, concentrated and thereafter decaffeinated by means of contact with a decaffeinating fluid such as liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide. Aroma loss is minimized by using water to remove caffeine and aroma from the CO.sub.2 stream, recovering aromatics from this caffeine-containing aqueous stream and adding-back these aromatics to the decaffeinated extract. Preferably equipment cost is minimized by use of a single pressure vessel to transfer the caffeine from the extract stream to the CO.sub.2 and from the CO.sub.2 to the water stream.

Decaffeination of aqueous roasted coffee extract

Decaffeination of aqueous extracts

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Hawthorne, NY, United States of America

Robert A Scarella