Selective Membrane Filtration for Acrylamide Reduction in Coffee Extracts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reducing acrylamide content in coffee products often compromise the aroma and flavor profile, as they involve treating entire coffee extracts, which can lead to undesirable flavor notes and retention of enzymes or adsorbents in the final product.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the use of a selectively-permeable membrane to reduce acrylamide content specifically in low aromatic aqueous coffee extracts, preserving the aroma and flavor components by separating and removing acrylamide from these extracts before combining them with high aromatic extracts, thereby minimizing impact on the final product's quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If acrylamide reduction is performed on the entire coffee extract using adsorbent resin, then acrylamide content is reduced, but aroma and flavor components are adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The coffee extract is divided into two separate streams: a low aromatic extract and a high aromatic extract. The acrylamide reduction treatment using adsorbent resin is applied only to the low aromatic extract, while the high aromatic extract remains untreated. This segmentation allows selective treatment of the portion that benefits most from acrylamide removal while preserving the aromatic qualities in the untreated portion.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality treatments are applied to different portions of the coffee extract. The low aromatic extract undergoes aggressive acrylamide reduction treatment, while the high aromatic extract maintains its natural aromatic properties without treatment. The two treated and untreated extracts are then combined to achieve both low acrylamide content and preserved aroma.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If enzymatic treatment is applied to unroasted coffee beans to reduce asparagine, then acrylamide formation is reduced, but off-flavours are produced and enzymes may be retained in the final product
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying enzymatic treatment to unroasted beans, the invention extracts the aromatic components separately and applies acrylamide reduction only to the remaining low aromatic extract. This avoids the need for enzymatic modification of the coffee beans entirely, eliminating the source of off-flavours and enzyme retention issues while still achieving acrylamide reduction in the final product.
3Productivity
If high temperature processing is used to increase yield, then profitability is improved, but acrylamide formation and undesirable processing flavour notes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and separates the aromatic components from the coffee extract before applying acrylamide reduction treatment. By removing the aromatic portion separately, the subsequent acrylamide reduction treatment can be applied more effectively to the low aromatic extract without compromising the sensory qualities, thereby allowing higher processing temperatures and more aggressive treatment to achieve yield and acrylamide reduction goals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process effectively reduces acrylamide content while maintaining the aroma and flavor profile of the coffee, achieving a higher acrylamide reduction with less interference in the final product compared to prior art methods, resulting in a coffee concentrate with improved quality and safety.
Implementation Method 1
contacting a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract with a selectively-permeable membrane to reduce the acrylamide content of the extract
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing a liquid coffee concentrate that has a reduced acrylamide content. The process involves contacting a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract with a selectively-permeable membrane to reduce the acrylamide content of the extract, prior to combining the treated extract with a high aromatic aqueous coffee extract. In particular, the process comprises the steps of: a) providing a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a first acrylamide content; b) providing a high aromatic aqueous coffee extract; c) contacting the low aromatic aqueous coffee extract with a selectively-permeable membrane to provide a low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a second acrylamide content; and d) combining the low aromatic aqueous coffee extract having a second acrylamide content and the high aromatic aqueous coffee extract to provide a liquid coffee concentrate, wherein the second acrylamide content is lower than the first acrylamide content.