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Whether for work, meetings, socializing, or staying alert, many people find coffee increasingly indispensable in their daily lives. Despite this, some experience accompanying heart palpitations, stomach pain, or insomnia that make them wary of caffeine. Are decaffeinated coffee beans the solution?

Are you concerned about heart palpitations, insomnia, or switched to low-caffeine coffee due to pregnancy? Wanting to reduce caffeine intake actually relates to coffee bean varieties, grind size, roasting methods, brewing techniques, water temperature, extraction time, and other factors. Additionally, you can choose specially processed low-caffeine coffee. These coffee beans have caffeine extracted before roasting, reducing it to less than 3% of the original caffeine content. According to EU standards, after processing, decaffeinated coffee should not exceed 0.1% caffeine content by weight of green beans.

Common side effects of regular coffee, such as heart palpitations and insomnia, are mostly caused by caffeine, so drinking decaffeinated coffee is less likely to cause palpitations and doesn't affect sleep. Some studies also suggest that for diabetic patients with existing high blood sugar or impaired glucose metabolism, decaffeinated coffee might be a better choice, as it won't counteract coffee's blood sugar-stabilizing effects or worsen diabetes due to excessive caffeine intake.

However, Maria Bella, founder of "Top Balance Nutrition," an organization specializing in weight control and healthy dietary counseling, reminds us not to assume that removing caffeine eliminates all coffee side effects, as some health concerns still require more research to confirm.

"Many health concerns related to drinking coffee, even when switching to decaffeinated, the effects still accumulate with consumption, such as acid reflux, affecting mineral absorption like iron, calcium, zinc, and consequently impacting bone density," Bella said.

A report from the "Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide" even indicates that compared to regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee beans carry the risk of raising cholesterol levels.

Different studies suggest that caffeine has lipid-regulating properties, but cafestol and kahweol in coffee are key factors that increase blood triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations. Therefore, researchers recommend that using filter paper for regular coffee can filter out most coffee oils, effectively reducing the adverse effects of elevated blood lipids from coffee consumption. However, the Harvard report found that even when decaffeinated coffee is filtered with paper, there's little difference in coffee oil content, still causing elevated blood lipids.

Researchers believe this might be related to caffeine extraction technology, though this hasn't been confirmed yet. "New Scientist" suggests it might be related to the varieties of decaffeinated beans, as Arabica beans, with higher unit prices, are common in specialty coffee, while decaffeinated coffee beans often use Robusta varieties, which contain higher levels of cafestol and kahweol than the commonly found Arabica beans.

Cancer Concerns with Caffeine Extraction Technology?

Currently, there are three main caffeine extraction technologies, with solvent extraction being the most commonly used but also generating the most discussion, as residual organic solvents always raise concerns.

1. Solvent Extraction Methods

Dichloromethane Extraction | Less impact on coffee flavor, but solvent is a potential carcinogen

Green coffee beans are treated with high-pressure steam to adjust moisture content, then soaked in dichloromethane solvent, allowing the beans to fully contact the solvent and extract caffeine.

Professor Nan-Wei Su from the Department of Agricultural Chemistry/Biochemical Science and Technology at National Taiwan University mentions that this method is the most economical approach, as dichloromethane has the highest extraction efficiency for caffeine, easily volatilizes with minimal residue, and has low reactivity with other substances.

However, dichloromethane is a suspected carcinogen and environmentally hazardous. Taiwan currently prohibits its use in food processing, though this method is approved by the FDA in the United States, which sets upper limits for permissible residues.

Professor Su notes that imported decaffeinated coffee beans might still be processed using dichloromethane solvent extraction. He further explains that dichloromethane has a very low boiling point, volatilizing when heated to approximately 30-40°C, making it difficult to remain as residue. After caffeine removal, coffee beans undergo roasting at temperatures around 160-230°C, which can completely volatilize any remaining dichloromethane. Therefore, although the National Cancer Institute considers it a possible carcinogen, the FDA still permits its use, setting a maximum permissible residue limit of 10ppm for decaffeinated beans or instant coffee when used as a caffeine extraction solvent. Most tested decaffeinated coffee beans show only about 1ppm or less, making the actual cancer risk relatively low.

Ethyl Acetate Extraction | Safe and common, but slightly affects flavor

Due to consumer concerns about dichloromethane, ethyl acetate emerged as an alternative. Ethyl acetate exists in nature, with some fruits containing higher concentrations than residues found in decaffeinated coffee, making it considered a safer choice and currently the more common method.

Ethyl acetate has a slightly higher boiling point than dichloromethane, around 77°C, and similarly volatilizes easily. The disadvantage is that ethyl acetate affects coffee bean properties, resulting in poorer flavor after roasting.

2. Swiss Water Process | Safer but more expensive

Whether using dichloromethane or ethyl acetate, both have concerns about chemical solvent residues, leading to the development of the "water method." Utilizing caffeine's water-soluble properties, coffee beans are first soaked in warm water. After caffeine and other components dissolve into the water, activated carbon adsorbs caffeine from the extract. Then, the caffeine-free extract is returned to the original coffee beans, allowing them to reabsorb lost components before the beans are dehydrated and dried.

This method emphasizes not using any organic solvents for caffeine extraction, making it the choice for health-conscious consumers. However, the disadvantages are that even allowing coffee beans to reabsorb caffeine-free extract still affects flavor, and this method produces more expensive decaffeinated coffee.

3. Supercritical/Liquid Carbon Dioxide High-Pressure Extraction | Expensive

There are various methods for using high-pressure carbon dioxide to remove caffeine, applicable not only to removing caffeine from green coffee beans but also from roasted coffee beans.

The main principle involves using specific high-pressure and temperature conditions where carbon dioxide has good penetration properties, allowing extraction of coffee bean flavors or specific components as needed. Combined with pressure, temperature control, and moisture content of the carbon dioxide used for extraction, caffeine can be effectively separated from coffee beans.

This method completely eliminates solvent residue issues and can utilize multi-stage extraction techniques to return original coffee flavors to the beans, preserving their original taste. However, the problem is that it requires special equipment, making it very expensive and not widely adopted.

In reality, whether drinking regular or decaffeinated coffee, "moderate consumption" and "minimal creamer and sugar" generally won't pose significant health risks. If you have high cholesterol or belong to high-risk cardiovascular groups, it's best to discuss with your doctor or dietitian whether decaffeinated coffee is suitable for you.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online shop services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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