||||||||||||| USOO516O757A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,160,757 Kirkpatrick et al. 45 Date of Patent: Nov. 3, 1992 54 PROCESS FOR MAKING REDUCED 4,737,376 4/1988 Brandlein et al. .............. 426/467 X OENSITY COFFEE 4,988,590 1/1991 Price et al. 5,019,43 5/1991 Becker et al. ....................... 426/460 75 Inventors: Steven J. Kirkpatrick, Cincinnati; Richard W. Bertagna, Mason; Roger FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS W. Gutwein, Cincinnati, all of Ohio 132877 2/1985 European Pat. Off. 337541 10/1989 European Pat. Off. (73) Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company, 2531390 7/1975 Fed. Rep. of Germany . Cincinnati, Ohio 1274806 5/1972 United Kingdom . (21) Appl. No.: 737,576 OTHER PUBLICATIONS 22 Fed: Jul. 26, 1991 Lerici et al., Production of High-Yield Coffee-Note 1 Roasting Experiments, Industrie Alimentari, Dec. 1985, Related U.S. Application Data pp. 991-994; 1000 (with Translation). 63 Continuation of Ser. No. 633,634, Dec. 21, 1990, aban Brochure-Leogap Rapido, Metalurgica Leogap SA doned, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. (Date of publication unknown-sometime before Nov. 374,424, Jun. 30, 1989, abandoned. 14, 1989). (51) Int. Cl. ................................................ A23F 5/04 Sivetz et al., Coffee Technology, "Green Coffee Tech (52) U.S. C. .................................... 426/466; 426/595; nology” AVI Publishing Co., Westport, CT (1979) pp. 426/467; 426/468; 426/469 134-135, 226-246, 250-262, 265-276 and 561. 58 Field of Search ......................... 426/595, 466-469 Fellows, Food Processing Technology, Chapters 14, 17, and 20 (1988). 56 References Cited Hunter, Photoelectric Color Difference Meter, J. of the U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Optical Soc. of America, 48, pp. 985-995 (1958). 2,444,217 6/1948 Armentrout . Primary Examiner-Joseph Golian 3,106,470 10/1963 Mentvale . Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gary M. Sutter; Ronald L. 3,572,235 3/1971 Nutting et al. Hemingway 3,589,912 6/1971. Adler et al. ......................... 426/466 3,615,667 10/1971 Joffe. (57) ABSTRACT 3,634,094 1/1972 Ponzoni et al. ..................... 426/595 3,652,293 3/1972 Lombana et al. This invention relates to an improved process for pre 3,660,106 5/1972 McSwiggin et al. paring reduced density roast coffee beans. The in 3,964,175 6/1976 Sivetz ...................................... 34/57 proved process comprises predrying green coffee beans 3,989,849 11/1976 Fogel et al...................... 426427 X to a moisture content of from about 0.5% to about 10% 4,110,485 8/1978 Grubbs et al. by weight, fast roasting the beans, and cooling the 4,161,549 7/1979 Ohno ............................... 426/466 X roasted beans. The resulting roasted beans have a Hun 4,169,164 9/1979 Hubbard et al. .................... 426/467 ter L-color of from about 14 to about 25, a Hunter 4,207,352 6/1980 Kurzhals et al. ............... 426/595 X AL-value is less than about 1.2 and a whole roast 4,267,200 5/981 Klein et al. 4,322,447 3/1982 Hubbard . tamped bulk density of from about 0.28 to about 0.38 4,331,696 5/1982 Bruce . g/cc. The resulting roast coffee beans are more uni 4,349,573 9/1982 Stefanucci et al. ................. 426/388 formly roasted than traditional reduced density coffee 4,430,353 2/1984 Yadlowsky ......................... 426/388 beans. 4,501,761 2/1985 Mahlmann et al. ................. 426/467 4,540,591 9/1985 Dar et al. 11 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet U.S. Patent Nov. 3, 1992 5,160,757 8 2OOF. 6 4. N. 6O°F 2 2OO°F O. O IOO DRYING TIME (HOURS) 5,160,757 1 2 PROCESS FOR MAKING REDUCED DENSITY B. The Effect of Green Bean Moisture Content on COFFEE Roasted Density Sivetz et al., supra, "Coffee Bean Processing", pp. RELATED APPLICATIONS 5 254-6 states that the bulk density of roasted bean will vary with degrees of roast, speed of roast, and original This is a continuation of application Ser. No. moisture content of the green beans. Sivetz goes on to 07/633,634, filed Dec. 21, 1990, now abandoned, which say: "fast roasts on large beans, especially new-crop was a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. coffees with more than average moisture, may cause a 07/374,424, filed Jun. 30, 1989, now abandoned. O 10-15% larger swelling than normal." (emphasis added) BACKGROUND In a discussion of bean roasting, Clifford, Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, "Physical Properties of the Coffee Historically roast and ground coffee has been mar Bean", pages 14-16, Apr. 1986, states "Production of keted on supermarket shelves by weight in 16-ounce carbon dioxide, and its expansion along with water cans. However, a recent trend in the coffee market has 15 vapor, generate internal pressures in the range of 5.5 resulted in the demise of the 16-ounce weight standard. to8.0 atmospheres and account for the swelling of the This trend emerged in 1988, when major coffee manu bean by some 170 to 230%. facturers began marketing 13-ounce blends. The blends U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,376, Brandlein et al., issued Apr. were prepared using "fast roast" technology that re 12, 1988, describes a two-stage bubbling bed roasting sulted in a lower density bean. Thirteen ounces of these 20 process for producing low density (0.28 to 0.34 g/cc) lower density blends have nearly the same volume as coffee. During Stage 1 the beans are heated at 500' to the traditional 16-ounce blends. As a result they could 630 F. (260' F-332' C.) for from 0.25 to 1.5 minutes at be marketed in the old 1-pound cans and were priced atmospheric pressure. During Stage 2 the beans are about 20 cents below the previous 16-ounce list price heated at a temperature equal to or less than Stage 1 for because they used fewer beans. This down-weighting of 25 from 0.25 to 1.5 minutes at atmospheric pressure. The coffee in cans has met with widespread acceptance in 376 patent discusses the importance of retaining a high the industry. internal bean moisture. It is stated that high internal Many recent "fast roast' coffees also have a higher bean moisture promotes hydrolysis reaction and allows yield of brew solids than previous 16-ounce coffees. the beans to remain more pliable during roasting. This is These high yield fast roast and ground coffees exhibit 30 said to allow for greater expansion of the bean during improved extraction characteristics during brewing. roasting. Typically, the beans fed into the Stage 1 Thus, they can make as many cups of coffee (or more) per 13 ounces as were previously prepared from 16 roaster have a moisture content of 10-2%. OCCS, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Fast roasting results in a puffed or somewhat popped 35 The present invention relates to a process for produc bean. Fast roasting of coffee typically occurs in large ing reduced density roasted coffee beans comprising the multistage roasters (e.g., Probat, Thermalo, Jetzone, steps of: (1) pre-drying green coffee beans to a moisture etc.) with very large heat inputs. These high heat inputs content of from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight, (2) result in the rapid expansion of the roasted bean. fast roasting the beans; and (3) cooling the roasted Fast roast processing is not without its shortcomings. 40 beans. The resulting roasted beans have a Hunter L The high heat inputs necessary to puff the bean result in color of from about 14 to about 25, a Hunter AL-color a high degree of bean roasting variation within the of less than about 1.2 and a whole roast tamped bulk roaster. Also, tipping and burning of the outer edges of density of from about 0.28 to about 0.38 g/cc. The the bean are a major problem. product beans can be ground or ground and flaked after It is therefore an object of the present invention to 45 roasting. produce a reduced density roast coffee bean that is more The present invention also relates to the reduced uniformly roasted. density coffee bean product and the resulting ground/- It is also an object of the present invention to produce flaked products. roast beans with less bean-to-bean color variation and less color variation within each bean. 50 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Another object of the present invention is to produce FIG. 1 shows a typical drying curve for a typical roast coffee beans with less tipping and burning of the blend of green coffee beans having an initial moisture outer edges of the roasted bean than conventionally fast content of 11% that are air-dried on a model 42200 roasted beans. Wenger belt dryer under 300 pound (136 kg) batch These and other objects of the invention will become 55 conditions. The blend consists of equal parts Robusta, clear by the disclosure herein. natural Arabica, and washed Arabica beans. BACKGROUND ART DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE A. Moisture Content of Exported Green Beans INVENTION Sivetz et al., Coffee Technology, "Drying Green Cof All percents and ratios used herein are on a weight fee Beans", pp. 112-169 (1979), states that coffee beans basis unless otherwise indicated. are dried prior to export. Historically, solar drying was the method of choice. However, improved reliability Definitions and efficiency of machine dryers has led to their wide As used herein, the term "reduced density coffee' spread use in the industry. The standard moisture target 65 relates to roasted coffee which has a roasted whole bean prior to export is about 12%.