Patent US4160042A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4160042A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Process for treating an aqueous extract of a vegetable material
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1977-10-17
•
Granted: 1979-07-03
•
Expires: 1997-10-17
Abstract
Abstract An aqueous extract of a vegetable material is treated with a view to reducing its caffeine and/or chlorogenic acid content. The treatment is with a solid ligneous adsorbent of vegetable origin in divided form at a temperature of from 0° to 100° C. so as to absorb the caffeine and the chlorogenic acid. Preferably adsorption takes place at a temperature of at most 30° C. and the overall process includes the following subsequent steps: Separating the adsorbent from the aqueous extract, Washing the adsorbent with water at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. so as to displace the non-specifically associated soluble constituents and combining washing waters with the aqueous extract, Subjecting the adsorbent to lixiviation with hot water at at least 60° C. so as to desorb the caffeine and the chlorogenic acid and to regenerate to adsorbent, Contacting the regenerated adsorbent with the aqueous extract and repeating the preceding cycle until the required decaffeination and/or deacidification level is obtained. Preferably the vegetable material is coffee and the absorbent is found by particles of carob pods. The final extract may be concentrated to a solids content of from 30 to 60% by weight and the liquor obtained dried to obtain a dry product.
Inventors
- 👤 David R. Farr
- 👤 Ian Horman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 19:05
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23F; A23F5/00; A23F5/20; A23F5/22; A23F5/223; A23F3/00; A23F3/36; A23F3/38; A23F3/385; A23F5/16; A23F5/18; A23F5/185
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
A process for treating an aqueous extract of a vegetable material containing caffeine and chlorogenic acid to reduce its caffeine and/or chlorogenic acid content, which comprises: (a) contacting said aqueous extract with a solid ligneous adsorbent of vegetable origin in divided form at a temperature of from 0° to 100° C; (b) separating said adsorbent from said aqueous extract; (c) washing said adsorbent with water at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. so as to displace non-specifically associated soluble constituents and combining washing waters with said aqueous extract; (d) subjecting said adsorbent to lixiviation with hot water at at least 60° C. so as to desorb caffeine and chlorogenic acid and regenerate said adsorbent; and (e) contacting regenerated adsorbent with said aqueous extract and repeating the preceding cycle until a desired preselected decaffeination and/or deacidification level is obtained.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
A process for treating an aqueous extract of a vegetable material containing caffeine and chlorogenic acid to reduce its caffeine and/or chlorogenic acid content, which comprises: (a) contacting said aqueous extract with a solid ligneous adsorbent of vegetable origin in divided form at a temperature of from 0° to 100° C; (b) separating said adsorbent from said aqueous extract; (c) washing said adsorbent with water at a temperature of from 0° to 30° C. so as to displace non-specifically associated soluble constituents and combining washing waters with said aqueous extract; (d) subjecting said adsorbent to lixiviation with hot water at at least 60° C. so as to desorb caffeine and chlorogenic acid and regenerate said adsorbent; and (e) contacting regenerated adsorbent with said aqueous extract and repeating the preceding cycle until a desired preselected decaffeination and/or deacidification level is obtained.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein said vegetable material is coffee.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein said adsorbent is formed by particles of carob pods.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process according to claim 3, in which said particles of adsorbent are obtained by desugaring, deodorising and grinding carob pods.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process according to claim 4, wherein deodorisation is carried out by treatment with an acid and stripping with steam.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process according to claim 4, in which said particles of adsorbent are sieved so that they have a grain size distribution of 0.5 to 4 mm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process according to claim 1, in which said aqueous extract is a coffee liquor containing from 1 to 50% by weight of soluble constituents.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to claim 1, in which said aqueous extract is freed from volatile aromas by stripping with steam before being contacted with said adsorbent and these volatile substances are recombined with the extract after the treatment.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process according to claim 1, in which the volume of extract treated per unit of weight of adsorbent is from 6 to 80.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
129 words
A process according to claim 1, in which treatment is carried out in the stationary phase by passing said extract through a bed of adsorbent, approximately half the volume initial extract is collected in the adsorption phase and separated, the rest of said extract is passed through said bed, the steps of washing with cold water and lixiviation with hot water are carried out, the remaining half is combined with the washing and lixiviation waters, this second half and these washing waters are concentrated together to approximately half their volume, this concentrated solution is passed through said bed of adsorbent and the preceding operations are repeated, which enables a final extract decaffeinated to a level of approximately 97% and deacidified to a level of approximately 60% to be obtained.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process according to claim 10, in which the volume of extract treated per unit weight of adsorbent is from 6 to 10.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process according to claim 10, in which the volume of the washing and lixiviation waters is from 1 to 4 times the volume of treated liquid.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A process according to claim 10, in which said hot lixiviation treatment is carried out by the circulation of steam at 100° C. in a closed circuit for about 1 hour in accordance with the principle of the Soxhlet apparatus.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
110 words
A process according to claim 1, in which said treatment is carried out under dynamic conditions by suspending said adsorbent in said extract with stirring for 15 to 180 minutes at a temperature of 10 to 30° C. said cold washing step is carried out rapidly, the contact time of the extract and the washing waters being about 10 to 30 seconds, said hot lixiviation step is carried out, regenerated adsorbent is suspended in a new batch of extract and the preceding operations are repeated, which leads to a final extract decaffeinated to a level of from 20 to 60% and deacidified to a level of from 10 to 55%.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process according to claim 14, in which the volume of extract treated per unit weight of adsorbent is from 10 to 80.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process according to claim 14, in which the volume of the cold washing waters and the hot lixiviation waters is approximately equal to the volume of treated liquid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
A process according to claim 14, in which said hot lixiviation step is carried out by the circulation of steam at 100° C. in a closed circuit for about 1 hour in accordance with the principle of the Soxhlet apparatus.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
33 words
A process according to claim 1, in which adsorption is crried out at a temperature above 60° C. to give an essentially non-decaffeinated extract deacidified to a level of from 10 to 60%.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to claim 1, in which said hot lixiviation waters are combined with treated extract and with said cold washing waters to give an essentially non-decaffeinated extract deacidified to a level of from 10 to 60%.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process according to claim 1, in which the final extract is concentrated to a solids content of from 30 to 60% by weight and the liquor obtained is dried.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process according to claim 20, in which said final extract is concentrated to a solids content of from 40 to 50% by weight.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process according to claim 1, in which the final extract is concentrated to a solids content of from 30 to 60% by weight and the liquor obtained is dried.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US510827A
Cited
US2149876A
Cited
US2198859A
Cited
US2375550A
Cited
US2471502A
Cited
US2471474A
Cited
US2470006A
Cited
US2573406A
Cited
US3428551A
Cited
US4031251A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1982-07-02 | 1983-01-01 | 1983-07-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1986-07-02 | 1987-01-01 | 1987-07-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1990-07-02 | 1991-01-01 | 1991-07-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |