GB2640844A

GB2640844A - Low diterpene soluble coffee and methods for making the same

Info

Publication number: GB2640844A
Application number: GB2406179.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Welsh Joe; Rees Jack
Original assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV
Current assignee: Koninklijke Douwe Egberts BV
Priority date: 2024-05-02
Filing date: 2024-05-02
Publication date: 2025-11-12
Also published as: GB202406179D0; WO2025228744A1

Abstract

A soluble coffee product suitable for forming a coffee beverage. The product consists of material derived from coffee beans and comprising soluble and insoluble coffee solids. The coffee solids comprise free coffee oils / lipids. The soluble coffee product comprises at least 1.25 wt% free coffee oils, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product. The free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, a diterpene, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. The free coffee oil may comprise less than 1.2 wt % kahweol. A method for the production of a coffee product comprising adding a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract and then homogenising it to form a liquid coffee concentrate; and the use of a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to improve the aroma and/or mouthfeel of a soluble coffee product are also claimed.

Description

Low Diterpene Soluble Coffee And Methods For Making The Same The present invention relates to a soluble coffee product having a reduced diterpene content and, in particular, a reduced cafestol content. There is also described a number of methods for obtaining a reduced diterpene/cafestol product. It is particularly an aim of the invention to provide an improved soluble coffee with a desirable aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel.

Instant coffee permits the production of a coffee beverage simply by the addition of hot water. Instant coffee is directly obtainable by extraction from roast and ground coffee beans to form an aqueous extract which is then generally dried. The most common form of instant coffee is soluble coffee granules, although liquid concentrates are also known. The quality of the final coffee beverage is measured by its aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel.

Conventional soluble coffee production may be summarised in the following steps. Green coffee beans are roasted and grounded to a particle size of 2-3 mm. The ground and roast beans are then subjected to a range of high extraction temperatures, typically ranging from 100-210 °C, to extract the water-soluble material which gives the final coffee beverage its aroma, flavour, colour, and mouthfeel. The liquid coffee extract is then concentrated and dried. The drying step is typically performed by the freeze-or spray-drying method commonly used in the art, and results in the solid soluble coffee material.

Coffee beans contain an array of chemical compounds including caffeine, antioxidants such as chlorogenic acids and melanoidins and lipids (also referred to as "coffee oils"). Coffee oils make up from 10 to 15 wt% of the total weight of coffee beans and encompass a group of oils called diterpenes. Studies have shown that diterpenes and more specifically, cafestol, are associated with higher blood levels of cholesterol in humans. Therefore, instant coffee in which cafestol content has been reduced may be desirable.

EP3160247 also identifies the presence of diterpenes as leading to the formation of scum on the top of the coffee beverage thereby compromising its quality. An approach which has been used to remedy the scum formation consists of removing coffee oil from the ground and roast coffee beans prior to any extraction steps. For example, EP3160247 provides a coffee beverage composition and a method of obtaining it in which oil is removed from a slurry of roast and ground coffee beans. Removing the oil consequently reduces the diterpenes associated with increased levels of blood cholesterol.

Another method of reducing coffee oil content to tackle poor mouthfeel and appearance properties is set out in US5236729. The process involves removing coffee oils from the liquid extract, as opposed to removing them directly from the coffee beans, treating the oils and returning the treated oils back into the coffee.

US20130337123 discloses a method of making a soluble coffee which contains roast and ground coffee particles to control agglomeration. In some embodiments, the roast and ground coffee particles are oil-depleted expeller cake, such that the product has a lower oil content than it would if fresh roast and ground coffee were used.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved soluble coffee material without compromising the appearance, aroma and/or mouthfeel of the final coffee beverage, or at least to tackle problems associated therewith in the prior art or provide a commercially viable alternative thereto.

According to a first aspect there is provided a soluble coffee product for forming a coffee beverage, the product consisting of material derived from coffee beans and comprising soluble coffee solids and insoluble coffee solids, the insoluble coffee solids comprising free coffee oils, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.25 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product and wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

The present disclosure will now be described further. In the following passages different aspects/embodiments of the disclosure are defined in more detail. Each aspect/embodiment so defined may be combined with any other aspect/embodiment or aspects/embodiments unless clearly indicated to the contrary. In particular, any feature indicated as being preferred or advantageous may be combined with any other feature or features indicated as being preferred or advantageous. It is intended that the features disclosed in relation to the product may be combined with those disclosed in relation to the method and vice versa. In particular, it is clear that the products described herein can be produced by the methods disclosed herein.

The inventors have found that simply removing all, or substantially all, of the oil from the coffee extract, as in EP3160247 has an adverse effect on the aroma, flavour and mouthfeel profile of the coffee extract and results in a bland coffee beverage. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is considered that the coffee oils help carry liposoluble aromatic compounds. It also contributes to the mouthfeel since the fine fat droplets can be detected on the consumers' tongues. Therefore, coffee oils play an important role in characterising the mouthfeel and aroma profile of the coffee.

The inventors have therefore found that it is, in fact, desirable to provide a higher oil-content soluble coffee product, but one in which the diterpenes and, especially cafestol have been reduced. As described herein there are methods for achieving this specific removal and replacement. This involves a homogenisation step to ensure that the returned coffee has a fine and even distribution. In the method of US5236729, the returned coffee oils tend to agglomerate, forming a slick on the surface of the coffee beverage and compromising the mouthfeel and appearance of the coffee beverage. In contrast, the inventors have provided a soluble coffee material in which free coffee oils have been mixed/homogenised to achieve a fine and stable fat distribution which survives the drying process and is reestablished on reconstitution in water.

The present invention relates to a soluble coffee product for forming a coffee beverage. Soluble coffees are well known in the art and take the form of powders which dissolve on reconstitution in hot water to form coffee beverages. A majority by weight of a soluble coffee product is therefore formed from soluble material which dissolves into the added hot water. Examples of soluble coffee powders include freeze-dried coffee powders and spray-dried coffee powders.

The soluble coffee product consists of material derived from coffee beans (and any moisture). That is, there is no non-coffee-based material in the product. This excludes the presence of added non-coffee oils, creamers, dairy ingredients, sweeteners and the like. As will be appreciated, the presence of non-coffee material contaminants at levels below 0.1 wt% may be unavoidable. The soluble coffee product provided as a powder may be dry blended with further ingredients such as creamers and sweeteners when sold as a commercial product. As such, a further aspect of the present invention provides a coffee beverage product comprising the soluble coffee product or the liquid coffee concentrate as described herein together with further ingredients such as a creamer and/or a sweetener, preferably both.

The product comprises soluble coffee solids and insoluble coffee solids. Insoluble coffee solids are typically fragments of roast and ground coffee beans, as well as free-coffee-oils since oil is immiscible and not soluble in water. Roast and ground coffee bean material may be intentionally added or present as a consequence of the extraction process. Solids are considered soluble if they dissolve in water at the temperature of a coffee beverage, such as °C after 1 minute, and insoluble if they do not. Preferably solids are considered soluble if they dissolve in water at the temperature of a coffee beverage, such as 85 °C after 10 seconds, and insoluble if they do not dissolve in water at the temperature of a coffee beverage, such as 85 °C after 10 minutes.

By the term "free oils" it is meant all of the oil that is removed from the sample under Soxhlet extraction in petroleum ether, preferably petroleum ether 40-60. This distinguishes over the presence of a very small amount of oil which may be trapped within roast and ground coffee sediment and cannot be recovered in this way. Soxhlet extraction is well known in the art and can be readily performed to determine the oil content of a sample.

The soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.25 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product. Preferably, the soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.75 wt%, preferably at least 2.25 wt%, preferably at least 2.75 wt%, preferably at least 3.25 wt% and more preferably at least 5 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product. The amount of free coffee oils in the soluble coffee product will generally not be greater than 10.0 wt%, preferably not greater than 7.0 wt% and more preferably not greater than 6.5 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product.

Untreated coffee oils typically contain at least 1.5-3 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. The free coffee oils in the soluble coffee product comprise less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. Preferably, the coffee oils comprise less than 1.0 wt%, preferably, less than 0.9 wt%, preferably less than 0.7 wt% and more preferably less than 0.5 wt%, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. As will be appreciated it is hard to remove cafestol completely from the free coffee oils. Therefore, a minimum amount of residual cafestol of at least 0.05 wt% based on the total weight of the free coffee oils, may be present.

Surprisingly, the inventors have found that soluble coffee products, comprising free coffee oils with, specifically, reduced levels of cafestol, provide an improved product without compromising the flavour, aroma, and mouthfeel of the final coffee beverage. Without being bound by theory, this is believed to be a result of the high oil content that is still present in final coffee beverage. The cafestol content may be lower than in commercially available soluble coffee material but the overall oil content remains high, ensuring that aroma and flavour is uncompromised.

Preferably, the insoluble coffee solids further comprise an insoluble coffee sediment fraction which is the non-free-oil portion of the insoluble coffee solids. Generally, the insoluble coffee solids consist of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction and the free coffee oils. In some embodiments the insoluble coffee sediment fraction preferably forms from 5 to 25 wt% of the product, preferably 5 to 20 wt%, preferably 7.5 to 15 wt% of the soluble coffee product. Such embodiments are particularly applicable to products produced without the addition of supplementary roast and ground particles (i.e. the insoluble coffee sediment fraction originates entirely from the extraction of the roast and ground coffee beans). In other preferred embodiments, particularly those involving addition of supplementary roast and ground coffee to a coffee extract, the insoluble coffee sediment fraction forms 20 to 30 wt% of the soluble coffee product.

As described further herein, it is particularly preferred for the supplementary roast and ground coffee to be de-oiled roast and ground coffee. Advantageously, high levels of over wt% of an insoluble sediment fraction may therefore be present in the product without causing slicking and scum on the surface of a coffee beverage upon reconstitution providing the beverage with a pleasant mouthfeel (yet still provide a product with a relatively high oil content). In preferred embodiments, the insoluble sediment fraction has a D90 of less than 50 pm, preferably from 10 to 30 pm.

Preferably, the insoluble coffee sediment fraction comprises de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles, wherein the de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles comprises less than 8 wt% coffee oil, based on the total weight of the de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles.

Generally Arabica coffee beans contain 15-17wt% coffee oil and Robusta contains about 11wrio coffee oil. Preferably the de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles comprise less than 6 wt% coffee oil, and more preferably less than 4 wt%. The de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles generally comprise greater than 0.1 wt%, preferably greater than 0.5 wt% coffee oil, since it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that 100% de-oiling of coffee beans is challenging such that some oil content often remains. In this embodiment, the de-oiled roast and ground coffee is a preferably separately prepared additive.

According to an alternative embodiment, the insoluble coffee solids further comprise an insoluble coffee sediment fraction which is the non-free-oil portion of the insoluble coffee solids, wherein the product comprises at least 5 wt% of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction, the insoluble coffee sediment fraction comprising, when analysed after acid hydrolysis, 1 wt% or less arabinose. The soluble coffee product preferably comprises 5 to 20 wt%, preferably 7.5 to 15 wt% of the insoluble coffee sediment. In this embodiment the sediment is generally depleted in arabinose because it has undergone a pre-treatment that has extracted a significant portion of the soluble coffee material. Typically, the insoluble coffee sediment low in arabinose is that obtained from the extraction of roast and ground coffee beans, especially those having a grind size of less than 600 microns as described herein, since such fine particles may pass through a typical filter used when extracting roast and ground coffee beans of a more typical grind size, such as from 1 to 2 mm. Moreover, the finer grind size releases more oil which is advantageous so as to allow for the removal of cafestol from the freed oil.

Preferably the insoluble coffee sediment fraction comprises, when analysed after acid hydrolysis, from 0.5 to 1 wt% arabinose. The arabinose content in the insoluble coffee sediment fraction indicates the extent to which extraction has been performed on the roast and ground coffee beans. A low arabinose content shows that the coffee material has been subjected to an exhaustive extraction process, such as one employing high pressure and/or high temperatures. In this embodiment, the coffee product may have been prepared in a single process where the fine sediment is obtained from the originally extracted beans, as in the slurry centrifuge process of W02020/136146. In other embodiments, the insoluble coffee sediment may arise from a combination of additive roast and ground coffee and the extracted insoluble material (though the total amount of arabinose will be proportionately higher).

The amount of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction in either approach provides a well-balanced aroma without having an unduly large amount of insoluble material which can adversely affect the mouthfeel and can cause undesirable sediment.

Preferably when reconstituted in an amount of 1 g of product per 100 mL of 95 °C water, an oil in water emulsion is formed wherein the oil has a particle size distribution having a D50 of less than 20 pm and a D90 of less than 50 pm. Preferably, the oil has a particle distribution having a D50 of less than 15 pm, more preferably between 3 pm and 10 pm. Preferably, the oil has a particle distribution having a D90 of less than 40 pm, preferably between 20 pm and 30 pm. The measurement can be taken using a wet Malvern laser diffraction system with a 1.5% concentration sample. The oil droplets can be distinguished from roast and ground coffee material by visual inspection based on the sphericity and then assigned to the peaks observed. The oil droplets are highly spherical, whereas the roast and ground coffee is jagged and angular.

The soluble coffee product according to the present invention comprises free coffee oils, such as cafestol-depleted coffee oil. As will be appreciated the free coffee oils in the soluble product are immiscible and therefore upon re-hydration of the soluble coffee product to make a coffee beverage there is a risk that these oils may agglomerate and form a suspension on the surface of the coffee beverage. Surprisingly, this risk is mitigated by providing a soluble coffee product that when reconstituted in an amount of 1 g of product per 100 mL of 95 °C water has an oil particle size distribution D50 of less than 20 pm and a D90 of less than 50 pm. As will be appreciated, for larger levels of oil content, it is particularly important that the oil is finely dispersed in fine oil droplets.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a liquid coffee concentrate comprising the soluble coffee product described herein wherein the soluble solids are dissolved, and the insoluble solids are dispersed, in water. Such a coffee concentrate may be obtained by reconstitution of the soluble coffee product, or may be the direct product of the method described herein prior to any drying step. A liquid coffee concentrate may therefore be characterised by the same features of the soluble coffee product with respect to its solids contents (the balance being essentially water only).

According to a preferred embodiment, the soluble coffee product comprises at least 1.75 wt% free coffee oils, preferably 4.0 to 7.0 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product, and wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.0 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

The quantification and analysis of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction requires the separation of the insoluble coffee solids from the soluble coffee solids. In order to facilitate this assessment for a liquid coffee product, it is necessary to dry the product to a powder so that the same analysis can be performed.

To isolate and quantify the insoluble coffee sediment fraction (also known as sediment), 30 grams of a given coffee sample (dry powder) is added to 70 grams of boiling water and shaken for 2 minutes. The sample is then centrifuged for 15 minutes at 10,000 g. After centrifugation the supernatant is decanted off and the sediment re-dissolved with 70 grams of boiling water, shaken for 2 minutes and then centrifuged again under the same conditions as above. This washing process is repeated 3 times for a total of four centrifugation steps. The sediment from the final wash is then freeze dried and then the sediment percentage is related to the starting sample of 30 g (e.g. 1.8 g of sediment represents a 6 wt% insoluble coffee sediment fraction). Before any analysis is carried out the dried sediment sample is homogenised by simple stirring.

To measure the arabinose content within the isolated insoluble coffee sediment fraction, a total carbohydrate analysis is carried out using high performance anion exchange-pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD), according to ISO 11292-1995. The sample is prepared by mixing the already-isolated sediment with 50 mL of 1 M HCI and then shaking the sample for 150 minutes at 95 °C. Quantification of the monosaccharides are carried out by analysing external standards of the monosaccharides as usual.

To determine the free oil content, samples of the product (firstly dried if the product is a liquid coffee concentrate) were assessed using any conventional Soxhlet apparatus such as a Soxtec H6. 2 g of sample was mixed with petroleum ether 40-60, boiled for 2 hours and then rinsed for approx. 0.5 hours. The resulting condensate is then heated to recover the solvent. The assessment of oil levels in this way is well known in the art.

Cafestol (and kahweol) contents may be determined using conventional methods known to those skilled in the art, such as a method according to DIN 10779:2012. For instant coffee products, determination may be performed with LC-MS/MS, and for R&G with LC-UV detection.

According to a further aspect, there is provided a method for the production of a coffee product, the method comprising a step of adding a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before or after concentrating the coffee extract, and then homogenising the concentrated coffee extract to form a liquid coffee concentrate, and optionally drying the liquid coffee concentrate to form a soluble coffee product.

By a cafestol-depleted coffee oil it is meant that the coffee oil has a level of cafestol which is lower than would normally be expected. A coffee oil generally has a cafestol content of at least 1.5 wt% (and at least -3 wt% for diterpenes). Any coffee having a lower content than this naturally occurring number would be considered cafestol-depleted. The cafestol level is less than 1.2 wt%. Preferred ranges for this are described above for the product. As will be appreciated, cafestol is a diterpene and the processes which permit the cafestol to be depleted may also have an effect depleting the other diterpenes present in the oil. Accordingly, a cafestol-depleted coffee oil may also be more broadly a diterpene depleted coffee oil. Preferably, the cafestol-depleted coffee oil has substantially the same lipids-profile as a naturally occurring coffee oil, except for being depleted in cafestol or cafestol and other diterpenes.

Removal or significant reduction of coffee oil content from ground and roast coffee beans has been found to negatively impact the aroma profile as well as the flavour and mouthfeel of the soluble coffee product. Surprisingly, it has been found that this effect can be outweighed by adding cafestol-depleted coffee oil back into the coffee extract. The cafestoldepleted coffee oil may be added back to the extract before any concentration of the coffee extract, or preferably is added after concentration and before homogenisation, in either case forming a liquid coffee concentrate. Adding after concentration reduces the risk of loss of desirable aroma carried by the added oil in the concentration step. The homogenised extract is preferably then dried to form a soluble coffee product. In this way, cafestol levels are significantly reduced whilst ensuring that other oils remain in high amount in the coffee product to improve the mouthfeel, aroma, and flavour profile of the soluble coffee product.

In one embodiment in which the coffee product is a soluble coffee product, the method comprises: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans; ii) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract; hi) separating an oil fraction from the liquid coffee extract to form an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; iv) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; v) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vi) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and vii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.

Surprisingly, the inventors have discovered that selectively removing cafestol from the oil fraction and subsequently reintroducing the cafestol-depleted coffee oil into the liquid coffee extract (preferably the concentrated extract) effectively reduces the amount of undesirable cafestol in a soluble coffee product without significantly lowering the free oil content. This is believed to ensure that the flavour, aroma and mouthfeel of the final coffee beverage are not compromised by removal of cafestol coffee oil. Furthermore, the inventors have found that homogenising the liquid extract mixture ensures that the free coffee oils are dispersed adequately throughout the soluble coffee product preventing agglomeration of the oils in the final coffee beverage, resulting in an improved mouthfeel of the final coffee beverage.

The roast and ground coffee beans may be for example, Arabica or Robusta coffee beans as are well known in the art. The roasting extent may be determined within usual bounds. It is generally the case that the roast and ground coffee beans will have a particle size of from 300 microns to 2 mm. Preferably, the roast and ground coffee beans are ground to a size (mean volume, D4,3) of less than 600 microns since the finer grind size naturally releases more oil from the bean structure. Preferably, the grind size is from 350 to 550 microns.

The method involves performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract as is well known in the art. The roast and ground coffee beans may be partially extracted after the first or the first few extractions, generally at lower temperatures. Further extraction steps, often at higher temperatures than preceding extraction steps, may essentially fully extract the beans to leave what is known in the art as spent coffee beans (or grounds). The high-temperature aqueous extraction steps include at least one step performed at a temperature between 175 and 210 °C. Preferably, at least one step is performed at a temperature between 185 and 200 °C.

The method involves separating an oil fraction from the liquid coffee extract to form an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract. The separation of the oil fraction is typically performed using a centrifuge or a three-phase separator. Methods for performing a suitable separation are well known in the art and are discussed in EP3160247.

The method involves concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract. As will be appreciated, the liquid coffee extract concentrated in this step is either the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract obtained after separating an oil fraction from the original (first) liquid coffee extract, or is a (second) liquid coffee extract that is cafestol-depleted in that is comprises the (first) liquid coffee extract and the cafestol-depleted coffee oil. Preferably, the concentrated (optionally oil-depleted but nevertheless cafestol-depleted) liquid coffee extract has a solids content of from 40 to 55 wt%. More preferably, the concentrated liquid coffee extract has a solids content of from 45 to 50 wt%.

The method involves treating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction. The fractionation is performed using vacuum distillation. Vacuum distillation is a well-known technique and the cafestol can be readily separated out.

The method involves homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract together with the cafestol-depleted oil fraction to form a homogenised extract. The homogenisation is preferably performed using a two-stage homogeniser. For example, a first high pressure step may be performed at 150 to 400 Bar and a second lower-pressure step may be performed at 50 to 100 Bar. The homogenisation is performed to ensure that the oil from the cafestol-depleted oil fraction has a mean particle size D50 of less than 20 microns, preferably less than 15 microns and more preferably from 3µm to 10 pm.

The method involves drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product.

Drying is performed by the spray-dry or freeze-dry methods commonly known in the art.

In another embodiment in which the coffee product is a soluble coffee product, the method comprises: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; ii) de-oiling the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain an oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; hi) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; iv) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; v) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vi) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and vii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.

In this embodiment, the roasted and ground coffee beans are de-oiled prior to performing the one or more high temperature aqueous extraction steps. Surprisingly, reducing the oil content in the roasted and ground coffee beans by at least 50% provides a soluble coffee product with the desired aroma, flavour and mouthfeel properties. As previously discussed, removing, or significantly reducing the oil content from the roasted and ground coffee beans, especially prior to performing a liquid phase extraction, can negatively impact the product quality in terms of aroma, flavour and mouthfeel. However, the inventors have discovered that by re-introducing the oil fraction once the cafestol has been selectively removed, overcomes this shortcoming.

This method involves providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content and de-oiling the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain an oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content. The typical first oil content will depend on the starting coffee type, with Arabica beans containing 15-17 wt% coffee oil and Robusta beans containing about 11 wt% coffee oil. De-oiling of these beans may be performed by known techniques such as pressing with an expeller or by supercritical fluid extraction (for example with supercritical CO2). Supercritical fluid extraction is advantageous for minimising the impact on the aroma of the oil. It is generally preferred to avoid chemical de-oiling (typically using organic solvents). The second oil content is preferably less than 5 wt%, more preferably less than 4 wt% by weight of the coffee beans.

The method includes fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction. Preferably, this is achieved by vacuum distillation as discussed above.

The method involves performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract. This is the same as discussed above though it will be appreciated that the reduced amount of oil in the extracted beans provides an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract with a reduced oil content.

The method involves concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract. This is the same as discussed above.

The method involves homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract (which comprises the cafestol-depleted oil fraction) to form a homogenised extract. This is the same as discussed above.

The method involves drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product. This is the same as discussed above.

In a further embodiment in which the coffee product is a soluble coffee product, the method comprises: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; ii) de-oiling the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain a first oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; hi) fractionating the first oil fraction to obtain a first cafestol-depleted oil fraction; iv) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a first oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; v) separating a second oil fraction from the first oil-depleted liquid coffee extract to form a second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; vi) fractionating the second oil fraction to obtain a second cafestol-depleted oil fraction; vii) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; viii) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and ix) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the first and/or second cafestol-depleted oil fractions are added to the second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.

The inventors have also surprisingly discovered that two separate de-oiling steps can be performed in the preparation of a soluble coffee product without compromising the final product quality. In particular, the cafestol content can be reduced by first de-oiling the roasted and ground coffee beans and then by performing a second oil extraction on the liquid coffee extract (as described for each of the two preceding embodiments). Accordingly, it will be understood that the liquid coffee extract which is concentrated is either the second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract (where the first and/or second cafestol-depleted oil fractions are added back after concentration), or the mixture of the second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract and the first and/or second cafestol-depleted oil fractions (where added before concentration).

The methods disclosed herein may exhibit different efficiencies depending on the number of oil-removal steps performed, the amount of oil removed in each of these steps, and the amount of cafestol separated from each oil fraction obtained. The efficiency is measured by the extent to which cafestol is removed from the starting roast and ground coffee beans, which in turn depends on the amount of coffee oil separated from the coffee beans. A de-oiling step performed directly on the roast and ground coffee beans by pressing methods, such as by an expeller, is a cost-effective way of removing oil at a large scale. However, and as may be appreciated by the person skilled in the art, oil recovery according to such pressing methods is often not as high as desired. On the other hand, de-oiling steps performed on a liquid coffee extract by centrifugation will recover practically all the oil present in the sample, resulting in improved efficiencies. Although more efficient, centrifugation techniques are more costly and may present scalability issues. Accordingly, a combination of both types of de-oiling/extraction steps may provide an optimum method.

Preferably, the method further comprises adding micro-ground coffee having a D90 of less than 50 pm (preferably from 10 to 30 pm) to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenisation, or to the homogenised extract after homogenisation. In particularly preferred embodiments, the micro-ground coffee is de-oiled micro-ground coffee (i.e. is obtained by milling de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans). The de-oiled micro-ground coffee may be provided by de-oiling a first roast and ground coffee beans and the liquid coffee extract obtained by extraction of a second roast and grounds coffee beans which are optionally de-oiled (these may also be different bean types for example). In other embodiments, a portion of the de-oiled beans are used to provide the micro-ground coffee as a supplement, and a further portion of the de-oiled beans are used for extraction to provide an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract as described above.

Where the micro-ground coffee is added to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenisation, this may preferably be added together with the cafestol-depleted oil fraction.

Micro-ground coffee having a D90 of less than 50 pm is preferably de-oiled and obtained by milling of de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans. The de-oiled roast and ground coffee may have a particle size of from 150 to 1,800 pm before milling. Typically, such a process involves sieving to remove oversized particles which are recycled into the mill in order to achieve such a low particle size as measured by the D90.

In a further preferred embodiment in which the coffee product is a soluble coffee product, the method comprises: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; h) de-oiling a first portion of the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain an oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; hi) milling the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having the second oil content to obtain micro-ground de-oiled coffee having a D90 of less than 50 pm; iv) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; v) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on a first portion of the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans and/or a second portion of the roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract; vi) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vii) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and viii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product, wherein the micro-ground de-oiled coffee is added to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenisation or to the homogenised extract after homogenisation; and wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.

In other embodiments, the liquid coffee extract obtained in step (v) may be separated into a further oil fraction (which may be treated to obtain a further cafestol-depleted oil fraction in accordance with embodiments described above). This is particularly preferred where a second portion of the roast and ground beans are extracted to provide a liquid coffee extract.

Generally it is preferred in embodiments comprises added roast and ground coffee that this is added before the homogenisation step thereby uniformly dispersing the insoluble material in the liquid extract.

According to a further aspect there is provided the use of a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to improve the aroma and/or mouthfeel of a soluble coffee product.

The foregoing description of the invention focusses on the cafestol content of the product (in particular that of the free coffee oils present in the product). However, as described above, the product is one in which other diterpenes as well as the total diterpene content has been reduced. As such, in further aspects of the present invention, the present disclosure also provides for equivalent coffee products and methods of manufacture in which the coffee products are diterpene-depleted (i.e. based on total diterpene content) or, for example, kahweol-depleted. In these instances, all passages of the description herein which refer to cafestol should be construed as applying equally for kahweol and total diterpenes. The total diterpene content in coffee can be considered to consist essentially of cafestol and kahweol, and optionally 16-0-methylcafestol.

The free coffee oils may therefore preferably comprise less than 1.2 wt% kahweol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. Preferably, the coffee oils comprise less than 1.0 wt%, preferably, less than 0.9 wt%, preferably less than 0.7 wt% and more preferably less than 0.5 wt%, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. As will be appreciated it is hard to remove kahweol completely from the free coffee oils. Therefore, a minimum amount of residual kahweol of at least 0.05 wt% based on the total weight of the free coffee oils, may be present. The free coffee oils may therefore preferably comprise less than 3.0 wt% total diterpenes, preferably less than 2.4 wt% total diterpenes based on the total weight of the free coffee oils. A residual total amount of at least 0.10 wt% diterpenes may equally be present.

Consequently, there is also described herein a soluble coffee product for forming a coffee beverage, the product consisting of material derived from coffee beans and comprising soluble coffee solids and insoluble coffee solids, the insoluble coffee solids comprising free coffee oils, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.25 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product and wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% kahweol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

There is also described herein a soluble coffee product for forming a coffee beverage, the product consisting of material derived from coffee beans and comprising soluble coffee solids and insoluble coffee solids, the insoluble coffee solids comprising free coffee oils, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.25 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product and wherein the free coffee oils comprise diterpenes (e.g. cafestol and kahweol, and optionally 16-0-methylcafestol) in a total amount of less than 3.0 wt%, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

According to a further aspect there is disclosed a beverage capsule comprising the soluble coffee product, liquid coffee product or coffee beverage product described herein.

The invention will now be described further in the following figures. In which: Figure 1 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method for the manufacture of a soluble coffee product; Figure 2 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method for the manufacture of a soluble coffee product as described herein; Figure 3 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method for the manufacture of a soluble coffee product as described herein; Figure 4 shows a flow chart of an exemplary method for the manufacture of a soluble coffee product as described herein.

Figure 1 shows a flow chart of conventional steps in the manufacture of a soluble coffee product 175. In a first step there is provided roast and ground coffee beans 105. These may be Robusta or Arabica coffee beans and depending on the intended extraction technique they will be ground to a suitable size.

In an extraction step 135 the roast and ground coffee beans 105 are contacted with hot water and/or steam to perform an extraction. This dissolves soluble coffee solids from the roast and ground coffee beans 105 and thereby forms a soluble liquid coffee extract 136. The soluble coffee extract 136 typically has a solids content of 30 to 50% depending on the extraction steps performed. It is conventional in the art to perform multiple steps at increasing temperatures to maximise the yield. For example, a first extraction may be performed with steam and then a second at about 140 °C and a third at around 180 °C. Higher temperature final steps above 200 °C may further optimise the yield. At the end of these steps there will also be a spent coffee ground product (not shown) that can be discarded.

The soluble coffee extract 136 is then concentrated in a concentration step 150. Suitable concentration processes are well known and include evaporation. The aim of the concentration step 150 is to reach a solids content suitable for subsequent drying steps, such as 40 to 50 wt%. The concentration step 150 provides a concentrated liquid coffee extract 155.

The concentrated liquid coffee extract 155 is then dried in a drying step 170 to provide a final soluble coffee product 175. The drying step 170 may be, for example, spray-or freeze-drying steps which are well known in the art.

Figure 2 shows a flowchart of steps in the manufacture of a soluble coffee product 275 according to one aspect of the present invention. In a first step there is provided roast and ground coffee beans 205. As for the conventional method depicted in Figure 1 these may be Robusta or Arabica coffee beans and depending on the intended extraction technique they will be ground to a suitable size.

The second step is an extraction step 235 in which at least one high temperature extraction is performed on the roast and ground beans 205 to provide a liquid coffee extract 236. At least one of the high temperature extractions is performed at a temperature of from 175 to °C. Additional extraction steps can be performed, such as initial steps at lower temperatures such as from 100 to 140 °C and later steps at temperatures above 200 °C to increase the extract yield.

In a separation step 210 an oil fraction 215 is removed from the liquid coffee extract to form an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract 240. The separation of the oil fraction can be performed by fractional distillation.

The oil depleted liquid coffee extract 240 is subjected to a concentration step 250 like the one illustrated in Figure 1, to form a concentrated oil-depleted liquid coffee extract 255. Concentration methods such as evaporation are performed until a concentrated oil-depleted liquid coffee extract 255 with a solids content of from 40 to 55 wt% is obtained.

In a separate fractionation step 220 the oil fraction 215 is treated to selectively remove and/or significantly reduce the cafestol content from the oil fraction. A cafestol-depleted oil fraction is obtained 225.

The concentrated oil-depleted liquid coffee extract 255 is mixed together with the cafestol-depleted oil fraction 225 and homogenised 260 to form a homogenised extract 265. The homogenisation step 260 ensures that the oil form the cafestol depleted oil fraction is adequately dispersed in the homogenised extract 265. By adequately dispersed it is meant that the oil from the cafestol-depleted oil fraction 225 has a mean particle size of less than 10 microns after homogenisation 260.

In a final drying step 270 the homogenised extract 265 is dried by spray-or freeze-drying methods, commonly known in the art, to form a soluble coffee product 275. The soluble coffee product comprises less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

Figure 3 shows a flowchart of steps in the manufacture of a soluble coffee product 375 according to one aspect of the present invention. In a first step there is provided roast and ground coffee beans 305 with a first oil content. As for the conventional method of Figure 1 these may be Robusta or Arabica coffee beans and depending on the intended extraction technique they will be ground to a suitable size. The first oil content is determined by the variety of coffee bean selected. For example, Arabica beans typically contain 15-17 wt% coffee oil and Robusta beans contain about 11 wt% coffee oil.

In a second step, the roast and ground coffee beans 305 having a first oil content are de-oiled 310 to obtain an oil fraction 315 and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 330.

The de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 330 have a second oil content that is less than 50% of the first oil content. The second oil content is preferably less than 5 wt%, more preferably less than 4 wt% by weight of the coffee beans. The de-oiling step 310 is performed by applying pressing techniques commonly known and used in the art.

In a fractionating step 320 oil fraction 315 is treated to selectively remove and/or significantly reduce the cafestol content from the oil fraction. A cafestol-depleted oil fraction is obtained 325.

The third step is an extraction step 335 in which at least one high temperature extraction is performed on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 330 to obtain a liquid coffee extract 340 and spent ground coffee beans (not shown). At least one of the high temperature extractions is performed at a temperature of from 175 to 190 °C. Additional extraction steps can be at lower temperatures such as from 100 to 140 °C and at temperatures above 200°C to increase the extract yield.

The liquid coffee extract 340 is then subjected to a concentration step 350 to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract 355. The concentration step can involve any commonly used concentration technique such as evaporation, eventually resulting in a concentrated liquid coffee extract 355 with a solids content of from 40 to 55 wt%.

The concentrated liquid coffee extract 355 is mixed together with the cafestol-depleted oil fraction 325 and homogenised 360 to form a homogenised extract 365. The homogenisation step 360 ensures that the oil form the cafestol depleted oil fraction is adequately dispersed in the homogenised extract 365. By adequately dispersed it is meant that the oil from the cafestol-depleted oil fraction has a mean particle size of less than 10 microns after homogenisation 360. In some embodiments, a portion of the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 330 are withdrawn prior to extraction step 335 and micronised by milling to a D90 of less than 50 pm (not shown). The micro-ground coffee may then be mixed together with the concentrated liquid coffee extract 355 and the cafestol-depleted oil fraction 325 and homogenised 360.

In a final drying step 370 the homogenised extract 365 is dried by spray-or freeze-drying methods, commonly known in the art, to form a soluble coffee product 375. The soluble coffee product is a coffee product comprising less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

Figure 4 shows a flowchart of steps in the manufacture of a soluble coffee product 475 according to one aspect of the present invention. In a first step there is provided roast and ground coffee beans 405 with a first oil content. As for the conventional method of Figure 1 these may be Robusta or Arabica coffee beans and depending on the intended extraction technique they will be ground to a suitable size. The first oil content is determined by the variety of coffee bean selected. For example, Arabica beans typically contain 15-17 wt% coffee oil and Robusta beans contain about 11 wt% coffee oil.

In a second step, the roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content are de-oiled 410 to obtain a first oil fraction 415 and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 430. The de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans have a second oil content that is less than 50% of the first oil content. The second oil content is preferably less than 5 wt%, more preferably less than 4 wt% by weight of the coffee beans. The de-oiling step 410 may be performed by applying pressing techniques commonly known and used in the art, or by techniques such as supercritical CO2 extraction.

The first oil fraction undergoes fractionation 420 to obtain a first cafestol-depleted oil fraction 425.

At least one high temperature extraction step 435 is performed on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans 430 to obtain a liquid coffee extract 440 and spent ground coffee beans (not shown). At least one of the high temperature extractions is performed at a temperature of from 175 to 190 °C. Additional extraction steps can be at lower temperatures such as from 100 to 140 °C and at temperatures above 200°C to increase the extract yield.

In a second de-oiling step 411 a second oil fraction 416 is separated from the liquid coffee extract 440 to form an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract 445. The separation of the oil fraction can be performed by fractional distillation.

The second oil fraction undergoes fractionation 421 to obtain a second cafestol-depleted oil fraction 426.

The liquid coffee extract 445 is then subjected to a concentration step 450 to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract 455. The concentration step can involve any commonly used concentration technique such as evaporation, eventually resulting in a concentrated liquid coffee extract 455 with a solids content of from 40 to 55 wt%.

In a homogenisation step 460, the concentrated liquid coffee extract 455 is mixed together with the first cafestol-depleted oil fraction 425 and the second cafestol-depleted oil fraction 426 to form a homogenised extract 465. The homogenisation step 460 ensures that the oil from the first and second cafestol depleted oil fractions is adequately dispersed in the homogenised extract 465. By adequately dispersed it is meant that the oil from the cafestoldepleted oil fractions has a mean particle size of less than 10 microns after homogenisation 460.

In a final drying step 470 the homogenised extract 465 is dried by spray-or freeze-drying methods, commonly known in the art, to form a soluble coffee product 475. The soluble coffee product is a coffee product comprising less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.

Examples

The inventions will now be described further in relation to the following non-limiting examples.

Example 1

In an example 100% arabica coffee with an oil content of 15% and that oil having a Cafestol content of 2.4% was ground to 300 microns x50 and extracted in a multi-stage high temperature process which extracted 15% of the oil content within the R&G.

The resulting coffee extract was de-oiled with a 3-phase separator removing 85% of the oil content. The de-oiled coffee extract was concentrated with an MVR to create a concentrated coffee extract. The oil-rich stream was distilled under vacuum of 0.002 mbar at 210°C to provide two fractions, a Cafestol rich fraction and a Cafestol depleted fraction. The Cafestol rich fraction contained 85% of the total Cafestol in the oil-rich stream.

The Cafestol depleted stream was then homogenised with the concentrated coffee extract in a two stage high pressure homogeniser with the first step at 200 bar and the second step at 75 bar. This mixture was then frozen, ground and dried in a standard freeze-drying coffee process to provide a finished soluble coffee product with 3% moisture composing 4% oil content by weight and 0.6% of that oil being Cafestol.

Example 2 (Slurry extraction) In an example 100% arabica coffee with an oil content of 15% and that oil having a Cafestol content of 2.4% was de-oiled using a screw press to remove 50% of the oil content. The resulting de-oiled cake was then ground to 300 microns x50 and extracted in a multi-stage high temperature process which extracted 15% of the remaining oil content within the R&G. The pressed oil was decanted and filtered to result in a clean sediment free oil.

The coffee extract was concentrated with an MVR to create a concentrated coffee extract.

The pressed oil was distilled under vacuum to provide two fractions, a Cafestol rich fraction and a Cafestol depleted fraction. The Cafestol rich fraction contained 85% of the total Cafestol in the pressed oil stream.

A portion of the Cafestol depleted stream was then homogenised with the concentrated coffee extract in a two-stage high pressure homogeniser with the first step at 200 bar and the second step at 75 bar. This mixture was then frozen, ground and dried in a standard freeze-drying coffee process to provide a finished soluble coffee product with 3% moisture composing 4.5% oil content by weight and 1.2% of that oil being Cafestol.

Example 3 (Column extraction) In an example 100% arabica coffee with an oil content of 15%, and that oil having a Cafestol content of 2.4% was de-oiled using a screw press to remove 50% of the oil content. The resulting de-oiled cake was then ground to 1800 microns x50 and extracted in a multi-stage high temperature process which extracted negligible amounts of oil. The pressed oil was decanted and filtered to result in a clean sediment free oil.

A portion of the Cafestol depleted stream was then homogenised with the concentrated coffee extract in a two stage high pressure homogeniser with the first step at 200 bar and the second step at 75 bar. This mixture was then frozen, ground and dried in a standard freeze drying coffee process to provide a finished soluble coffee product with 3% moisture composing 4.6% oil content by weight and 0.4% of that oil being Cafestol.

Example 4

In an example 100% arabica coffee with an oil content of 15% and that oil having a Cafestol content of 2.4% was de-oiled using a screw press to remove 50% of the oil content. The resulting de-oiled cake was then ground to 300 microns x50 and extracted in a multi-stage high temperature process which extracted 15% of the remaining oil content within the R&G.

The pressed oil was decanted and filtered to result in a clean sediment free oil.

The resulting coffee extract was de-oiled with a 3-phase separator removing 85% of the oil content. The de-oiled coffee extract was concentrated with an MVR to create a concentrated de-oiled coffee extract. The oil-rich streams from the pressing and the separation were distilled under vacuum of 0.002 mbar at 210°C to provide two fractions, a Cafestol rich fraction and a Cafestol depleted fraction. The Cafestol rich fraction contained 85% of the total Cafestol in the oil-rich stream.

The Cafestol depleted streams from the 3-phase separation step and part of the Cafestol depleted stream from the pressing step were then homogenised with the concentrated coffee extract in a two stage high pressure homogeniser with the first step at 200 bar and the second step at 75 bar. This mixture was then frozen, ground and dried in a standard freeze drying coffee process to provide a finished soluble coffee product with 3% moisture composing 4.5% oil content by weight and 0.5% of that oil being Cafestol.

Further Examples

A number of commercially available coffee products were analysed for their total oil content, diterpene content and cafestol content. These are set out in the tables below.

Table 1-Total oil content and absolute amounts of diterpenes in the product sample Commercially available Sample Oil content 16-0- Kahweol Cafestol (wt%) Methylcafestol (mg/kg) (mg/kg) (mg/kg) PA1 1.00 0 131 160 PA1 1.00 10 271 103 PA3 1.00 87 417 313 PA4 2.00 0 715 476 PA5 2.00 6 673 451 Table 2-Relative Amounts o Diterpenes in the Free Coffee oil Commercially available Sample 16-0- Kahweol Cafestol Methylcafestol (mg/kg oil) (mg/kg oil) (mg/kg oil) PA1 0 13100 16000 PA1 1000 27100 10300 PA3 8700 41700 31300 PA4 0 35750 23800 PA5 300 33650 22550 Table 3-Weight Percent Amounts of Diterpene in Free Coffee Oil Commercially available Sample 16-0- Kahweol (wt%) Cafestol Total Methylcafestol (mg/kg) (wt%) Diterpenes (wt%) PA1 0.00 1.31 1.60 2.91 PA1 0.10 2.71 1.03 3.84 PA3 0.87 4.17 3.13 8.17 PA4 0.00 3.58 2.38 5.96 PA5 0.03 3.37 2.26 5.65 PA1-5 are all different commercially available instant coffee powders including micro-ground roasted coffee powder.

The term "comprising" as used herein can be exchanged for the definitions "consisting essentially of" or "consisting of". The term "comprising" is intended to mean that the named elements are essential, but other elements may be added and still form a construct within the scope of the claim. The term "consisting essentially of" limits the scope of a claim to the specified materials or steps and those that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. The term "consisting of closes the claim to the inclusion of materials other than those recited except for impurities ordinarily associated therewith.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe, for example, various features (e.g. liquid extracts and oil fractions), the features should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one oil fraction, for example, from another or further oil fraction.

The foregoing detailed description has been provided by way of explanation and illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Many variations in the presently preferred embodiments illustrated herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and remain within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

For the avoidance of doubt, the entire contents of all documents acknowledged herein are incorporated herein by reference.

All percentages herein are by weight unless indicated to the contrary.

Claims

Claims: 1. A soluble coffee product for forming a coffee beverage, the product consisting of material derived from coffee beans and comprising soluble coffee solids and insoluble coffee solids, the insoluble coffee solids comprising free coffee oils, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises the free coffee oils in an amount of at least 1.25 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product and wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.
2. The soluble coffee product according to claim 1, wherein the insoluble coffee solids further comprise an insoluble coffee sediment fraction which is the non-free-oil portion of the insoluble coffee solids, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises from 5 to 30 wt% of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction, wherein the insoluble coffee sediment fraction comprises de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles, wherein the de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles comprise less than 8 wt% coffee oil, based on the total weight of the de-oiled roast and ground coffee particles.
3. The soluble coffee product according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the insoluble coffee solids further comprise an insoluble coffee sediment fraction which is the non-free-oil portion of the insoluble coffee solids, wherein the product comprises at least 5 wt% of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction, the insoluble coffee sediment fraction comprising, when analysed after acid hydrolysis, 1 wt% or less arabinose.
4. The soluble coffee product according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises from 20 to 30 wt% of the insoluble coffee sediment fraction.
5. The soluble coffee product according to any preceding claim, wherein the insoluble coffee solids further comprise an insoluble coffee sediment fraction which is the non-free-oil portion of the insoluble coffee solids, wherein the insoluble coffee sediment fraction has a D90 of less than 50 pm, preferably from 10 to 30 pm.
6. The soluble coffee product according to any preceding claim, wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% kahweol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.
7. The soluble coffee product according to any preceding claim, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises at least 1.75 wt% and/or at most 10.0 wt% free coffee oils, preferably at least 2.25 wt% and/or at most 7.0 wt% free coffee oils.
8. The soluble coffee product according to any preceding claim, wherein, when reconstituted in an amount of 1 g of product per 100 mL of 95 °C water, an oil in water emulsion is formed wherein the oil has a particle size distribution having a D50 of less than pm and a D90 of less than 50 pm.
9. A liquid coffee concentrate comprising the soluble coffee product according to any preceding claim dissolved and dispersed in water.
10. A coffee beverage product comprising the soluble coffee product according to any of claims 1 to 8 and further comprising a creamer and/or a sweetener.
11. A method for the production of a coffee product, the method comprising a step of adding a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before or after concentrating the coffee extract, and then homogenising the concentrated coffee extract to form a liquid coffee concentrate, and optionally drying the liquid coffee concentrate to form a soluble coffee product.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the coffee product is the soluble coffee product according to any of claims 1 to 8.
13. The method according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the soluble coffee product comprises at least 1.25 wt% free coffee oils, preferably 4.0 to 7.0 wt%, based on the total weight of the soluble coffee product, and wherein the free coffee oils comprise less than 1.2 wt% cafestol, based on the total weight of the free coffee oils.
14. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, the method comprising: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans; H) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract; hi) separating an oil fraction from the liquid coffee extract to form an oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; iv) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; v) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vi) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and vii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before 10 homogenising.
15. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, the method comprising: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; h) de-oiling the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain an oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; iii) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; iv) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain an oil-depleted liquid coffee 20 extract; v) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vi) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and vii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.
16. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, the method comprising: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; h) de-oiling the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain a first oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; hi) fractionating the first oil fraction to obtain a first cafestol-depleted oil fraction; iv) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a first oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; v) separating a second oil fraction from the first oil-depleted liquid coffee extract to form a second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract; vi) fractionating the second oil fraction to obtain a second cafestol-depleted oil fraction; vii) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; viii) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and ix) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product; wherein the first and/or second cafestol-depleted oil fractions are added to the second oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.
17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, further comprising adding micro-ground coffee having a D90 of less than 50 pm to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenisation, or to the homogenised extract after homogenisation.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the micro-ground coffee is obtained by milling de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans.
19. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, the method comprising: i) providing roast and ground coffee beans having a first oil content; H) de-oiling a first portion of the roast and ground coffee beans to obtain an oil fraction and de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having a second oil content, wherein the second oil content is less than 50% of the first oil content; iii) milling the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans having the second oil content to obtain micro-ground de-oiled coffee having a D90 of less than 50 pm; iv) fractionating the oil fraction to obtain a cafestol-depleted oil fraction; v) performing one or more high-temperature aqueous extraction steps on a first portion of the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans and/or a second portion of the roast and ground coffee beans in order to obtain a liquid coffee extract; vi) concentrating the liquid coffee extract to form a concentrated liquid coffee extract; vii) homogenising the concentrated liquid coffee extract to form a homogenised extract; and viii) drying the homogenised extract to form the soluble coffee product, wherein the micro-ground de-oiled coffee is added to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenisation or to the homogenised extract after homogenisation; and wherein the cafestol-depleted oil fraction is added to the oil-depleted liquid coffee extract before concentrating and/or to the concentrated liquid coffee extract before homogenising.
20. The method according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the de-oiled roast and ground coffee beans are micronised by milling prior to adding to the concentrated liquid coffee extract or the homogenised extract.
21. A beverage capsule comprising the soluble coffee product according to any of claims 1 to 8, a liquid coffee product according to claim 9, a coffee beverage product according to claim 10, or a coffee product obtainable according to any of claims 11 to 20.
22. Use of a cafestol-depleted coffee oil to improve the aroma and/or mouthfeel of a soluble coffee product.