EP0167399A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Decaffeination of fermented unfired tea
Assignee: General Foods Corp
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Filing: 1985-07-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-07-04
Abstract
Abstract Fermented, but unfired, green tea leaf material is contacted with a decaffeination fluid in order to effect removal of caffeine from the tea. After this decaffeination step, which preferably takes place in the absence of oxygen, the tea leaf material is fired in order to develop a black tea flavor. The preferred decaffeination fluid is a supercritical fluid with carbon dioxide being the preferred supercritical fluid. The product produced is superior to product obtained by decaffeinating green, unfermented tea or black tea.
Inventors
- 👤 Otto Georg Vitzthum
- 👤 Adolph Scott Clausi
- 👤 Nabil Ahmed El-Hag
- 👤 Virendra Nath Kapoor
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 22:55
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23F; A23F3/00; A23F3/36; A23F3/366; A23F3/06; A23F3/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A method for the manufacture of decaffeinated tea comprising the steps of: (a) drying green tea leaves; (b) rolling, cutting and fermenting the green tea, said fermentation being conducted in a moist atmosphere for a period of time in excess of 30 minutes and effective to develop a red-brown color and a fermented tea flavor in said tea; (c) decaffeinating the fermented and unfired tea by contacting said fermented tea with a decaffeinating fluid for a time and in an amount which is effective to remove at least 50% by weight of the caffeine contained in the tea.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
98 words
A method for the manufacture of decaffeinated tea comprising the steps of: (a) drying green tea leaves; (b) rolling, cutting and fermenting the green tea, said fermentation being conducted in a moist atmosphere for a period of time in excess of 30 minutes and effective to develop a red-brown color and a fermented tea flavor in said tea; (c) decaffeinating the fermented and unfired tea by contacting said fermented tea with a decaffeinating fluid for a time and in an amount which is effective to remove at least 50% by weight of the caffeine contained in the tea.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The decaffeinated fermented, unfired tea produced according to the process of claim 1.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method for producing a decaffeinated black tea comprising the further step of firing the decaffeinated, fermented, unfired tea of claim 1, said firing being conducted at a temperature above 70°C for a period of time in excess of about 10 minutes and effective to develop a black tea flavor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
12 words
The decaffeinated black tea produced according to the process of claim 3.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the decaffeinating fluid is a moist extraction solvent gas having selective dissolving capacity for the caffeine and which is supercritical with respect to temperature and pressure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 5 wherein the gas is carbon dioxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 6 wherein decaffeination is carried out at a temperature of from about 40° to 100°C at a pressure of from about 100 to 400 atmospheres absolute.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the decaffeinating fluid is a halogenated hydrocarbon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the decaffeinating fluid is methylene chloride.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein decaffeination is conducted in a sealed chamber from which oxygen is removed prior to commencement of contact between fermented tea and the decaffeinating fluid.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the decaffeinating system contains an antioxidant.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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