The history of caffeine
The word “caffeine” originated from the German word “kaffee” and the French word “café” both directly translating to mean “coffee”. Caffeine’s chemical name is 1,3,7-triemthlxanthine , based on its formula C8H10N4O2 and molecular structure. Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that can be isolated from over sixty plants , but can also be made synthetically and added to our everyday food products and medication. Much of the modern population uses caffeine as a stimulant , exciting the brain and nervous system while fatigue. This makes caffeine one of the most widely consumed psychoactive agents in the world. (Charles , 2014)
Where does caffeine come from? Since caffeine and coffee are both derived from the Arabic word qahweh. The origins of the words reflect the spread of coffee into Europe via Arabia and turkey from the northwest Africa , where coffee trees were cultivated in the sixth century. Coffee began to be popular in Europe in the 17th century. By the 18th century , plantations have been establish in Indonesia and the west indies , and by the 20th century coffee had become the biggest cash crop on earth. Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1819(Charles 2014). It is also found in tea ; in cacao pods , and in cocoa and chocolate products; in kola nuts , used in the preparation of cola drinks ; in the ilex plant and in guarana seeds , an ingredient in energy drinks.
The caffeine content of coffee beans varies according to the species of the coffee plant. Beans from coffea arabica , grown mostly in central and south America , contain about 1.1 per cent caffeine. Beans from coffea robusta , grown mostly in Indonesia and Africa contain about 2.2 per cent caffeine. (James, 2011)
Where does caffeine come from? Since caffeine and coffee are both derived from the Arabic word qahweh. The origins of the words reflect the spread of coffee into Europe via Arabia and turkey from the northwest Africa , where coffee trees were cultivated in the sixth century. Coffee began to be popular in Europe in the 17th century. By the 18th century , plantations have been establish in Indonesia and the west indies , and by the 20th century coffee had become the biggest cash crop on earth. Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1819(Charles 2014). It is also found in tea ; in cacao pods , and in cocoa and chocolate products; in kola nuts , used in the preparation of cola drinks ; in the ilex plant and in guarana seeds , an ingredient in energy drinks.
The caffeine content of coffee beans varies according to the species of the coffee plant. Beans from coffea arabica , grown mostly in central and south America , contain about 1.1 per cent caffeine. Beans from coffea robusta , grown mostly in Indonesia and Africa contain about 2.2 per cent caffeine. (James, 2011)
Isolation
Caffeine was first extracted from cocoa beans into its purest form , a white powder , in the 1820s by a German Scientist named Friedrich Ferdinand Runge. Today caffeine is easily extracted and used to make a variety of products that are consumed on a daily basis. (James, 2011)
Extracting caffeine from coffee to produced decaffeinated coffee and a caffeine powder can be accomplished in many different ways. A few of these processes are no longer used because of the health risks , environmental impact, cost , and flavor changes that were associated with the solvents. Common solvents that were used include chloroform , benzene , trichloroethylene , and dichloromethane. There are now there main processes that have replaced the use of the previous solvents (Charles , 2014). |
Water extraction: Raw, green coffee beans are soaked in distilled water for an extended period of time. The water, containing many other compounds including caffeine and flavor compounds, is then passed through a charcoal filter. The charcoal removes caffeine from the solution, leaving the flavor compounds. The solution is then placed back with the original coffee beans and allowed to evaporate, leaving decaffeinated beans with their original flavor. Many manufacturers collect the caffeine from the charcoal filter and resell it for use in products such as soda and over the counter medications. (James , 2011)
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide extraction: Carbon dioxide, CO2, is a great solvent that is safer than the organic solvents used in previous extractions. The process begins when CO2 is forced through green coffee beans at a temperature above 31.1 °C and a pressure above 73 atm. Under these conditions, CO2 enters a “supercritical”state. In a supercritical state it has gaslike properties, that allow it to penetrate deep into the beans, while maintaining its liquid-like properties that allow it to dissolve 97–99% of the caffeine in the beans. The CO2, now containing caffeine compounds, is then sprayed with high pressure water to remove the caffeine. This water can then be filtered and caffeine can be isolated into its purest white powder form.(James , 2011) Extraction by organic solvents: Research has found certain organic solvents, such as ethyl acetate, that have a lower health risk and environmental hazard than chlorinated and aromatic organic solvents used years before. These solvents are used to dissolve caffeine, and are then rinsed away leaving the coffee been decaffeinated. (James , 2011) Images from: http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Caffeine |