Decaf chemical risk...

[derekoneseven]

Does anybody have any links to websites which contain research about the risk of drinking coffee decaffienated using chemicals, and/or the danger of the chemical''s themselves? I had searched for a bit, but cannot find. I appreciate the help

 

[ElPugDiablo]

The chemicals commonly used to decaffeinate coffee are Methyl Chloride or Ethyl Acetate. I am sure these are not something you want to consume every day for your health. However in the roasting process where beans are typically roasted to about 400F, the tiny traces of these chemicals with boiling point of about 170F are vaporized, thus there is no health risk. If you had researched a bit and cannot find it, then maybe this is because there is no health risk with drinking chemically processed decaf?

 

[Davec]

I am not sure I agree and personally would not use Coffee decaffienated using the Methyl Chloride process.

an overview of the various processes here

http://coffeetime.wikidot.com/decaffeination-processes

Looking more deeply at Chloromethane (Methyl Chloride)

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/24/7/31745698.pdf

Is an interesting example of how difficult it is to destroy the product in certain situations and also how under certain conditions, it can react with other compounds

e.g.
Options for disposal

Remark: "A potential candidate for rotary kiln incineration at a
temperature range of 820 to 1,600 deg C and residence times
of seconds for liquids and gases, and hours for solids. A
potential candidate for fluidized bed incineration at a
temperature range of 450 to 980 deg C and residence times of
seconds for liquids and gases, and longer for solids."

and

Its presence in municipal waste landfills may
suggest that consumer products containing chloromethane were
landfilled (e.g., propellants for aerosol cans). In a study
of the products of initial combustion using mixtures of
chloromethane under simulated incinerator conditions,
chloromethane was destroyed under oxygen-rich conditions
(Taylor and Dellinger 1988). Under oxygen starved
conditions, however, chloromethane can combine with other
components of the mixture to form, among other compounds,
chlorinated ethanes,

No be clear, in the second example I am not suggesting that other compounds can be formed during the roasting of coffee, but in a sense, it's often done under Oxygen starved conditions (depending partly on roaster and of course the substance is in (not on) the bean.

My view is this is not a chemical I would want to see used on a food product that I am later going to consume. Indeed mabye all the damaging products are removed by roasting/possibly they are not!

 

[ElPugDiablo]

My view is this is not a chemical I would want to see used on a food product that I am later going to consume. Indeed mabye all the damaging products are removed by roasting/possibly they are not!

Below is direct quote from Terroir Coffee. George Howell, in my opinion is one of the, if not THE, leading authority on coffee.

"Methylene chloride is the most selective solvent, and its boiling point is a mere 104° F, allowing gentler extraction and leaving by far the purest coffee flavor of any decaffeination process. The FDA allows 10 parts per million (ppm) of methylene chloride in food products; while residue in our decaf is below 2 ppm, it is further dramatically reduced from barely-detectible to zero after roasting, where temperatures exceed 400° F."

I am not sure when is roasting done under oxygen starved conditions. In an oxygen starved conditions we won't have roaster fire, but we all know roaster fire is something we all watch out for.

 

[gyumust]

Dangers of Decaf

Although there are many substances in coffee, people point to caffeine alone as being the only harmful one. It is for this reason that many people have turned to decaffeinated coffee. Coffee consists of more than just caffeine and while decaffeinated coffee may not have this particular substance, it is still full of chlorogenic acid, caffeol and diterpenes. These substances may not be caffeine but they still have the ability to exert strong physiological and psychological effects. While most people have strong responses to caffeine, there are some people whose responses to chlorogenic acid, caffeol and diterpenes are just as strong. Thus, avoiding regular coffee and drinking decaffeinated coffee alone is not enough. There are times when is best to avoid all types of coffee.

Some studies have found that decaffeinated coffee increases the risk of heart attacks. Regular coffee has the same effect as a result, removing the caffeine does not lead to reduced risk. Furthermore, an increase in the type of cholesterol that causes heart attacks and leads to various cardiovascular disease has been noted in people who changed over to decaffeinated coffee. In addition, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is not diminished by switching to decaffeinated coffee. This is because chlorogenic acid, a substance found in both regular and decaffeinated coffee, is thought to play a significant role in raising the plasma levels associated with the development of cardiovascular disease.

With or without caffeine, coffee in general has strong effects on the body''s metabolism. This is because coffee affects the central nervous system and raises the heart rate and blood pressure. This impact on the central nervous system can leave people feeling bothered, nervous and anxious.

Some of the digestive and gastrointestinal problems associated with regular coffee do not disappear when one switches to decaffeinated coffee. This is because coffee on its own is acidic. Thus, when ingested, it over stimulates the digestive tract and creates laxative like responses, in addition, it prevents the body from absorbing various minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Decaffeinated coffee still has the potential to induce heartburn and acid reflux. Other health problems associated with regular coffee continue to be associated with decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated still poses the threat of developing certain diseases, such as osteoporosis and diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma. In addition, while regular coffee has not been implicated in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, some studies indicate that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day can lead to rheumatoid arthritis.

Find more info at www.CaffeineAwareness.org

 

[Davec]

I am not sure when is roasting done under oxygen starved conditions. In an oxygen starved conditions we won't have roaster fire, but we all know roaster fire is something we all watch out for.

Yes of course it is...especially in a Gas roaster where the combustion gases are put through the roaster!? It's also where the product is in the bean that will have an effect on it's ability to oxygenate as the temperature rises..

 

[Davec]

Oh oxygen starved doesn't mean 0 oxygen, so you can still get a fire....damm the no edit option on posts.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

Oh oxygen starved doesn't mean 0 oxygen, so you can still get a fire....damm the no edit option on posts.

Most gas fired drum roasters today are roasted by means of convection, i.e. air hot via blower. I am not sure how oxygen starved they are. Anyway, if there are definitive study that shows MC decafed coffee is harmful to ones health, I would appreciate some information about such study.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

Re: Dangers of Decaf

Although there are many substances in coffee, people point to caffeine alone as being the only harmful one. It is for this reason that many people have turned to decaffeinated coffee. Coffee consists of more than just caffeine and while decaffeinated coffee may not have this particular substance, it is still full of chlorogenic acid, caffeol and diterpenes. These substances may not be caffeine but they still have the ability to exert strong physiological and psychological effects. While most people have strong responses to caffeine, there are some people whose responses to chlorogenic acid, caffeol and diterpenes are just as strong. Thus, avoiding regular coffee and drinking decaffeinated coffee alone is not enough. There are times when is best to avoid all types of coffee.

Some studies have found that decaffeinated coffee increases the risk of heart attacks. Regular coffee has the same effect as a result, removing the caffeine does not lead to reduced risk. Furthermore, an increase in the type of cholesterol that causes heart attacks and leads to various cardiovascular disease has been noted in people who changed over to decaffeinated coffee. In addition, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is not diminished by switching to decaffeinated coffee. This is because chlorogenic acid, a substance found in both regular and decaffeinated coffee, is thought to play a significant role in raising the plasma levels associated with the development of cardiovascular disease.

With or without caffeine, coffee in general has strong effects on the body''s metabolism. This is because coffee affects the central nervous system and raises the heart rate and blood pressure. This impact on the central nervous system can leave people feeling bothered, nervous and anxious.

Some of the digestive and gastrointestinal problems associated with regular coffee do not disappear when one switches to decaffeinated coffee. This is because coffee on its own is acidic. Thus, when ingested, it over stimulates the digestive tract and creates laxative like responses, in addition, it prevents the body from absorbing various minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Decaffeinated coffee still has the potential to induce heartburn and acid reflux. Other health problems associated with regular coffee continue to be associated with decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated still poses the threat of developing certain diseases, such as osteoporosis and diseases of the eye, such as glaucoma. In addition, while regular coffee has not been implicated in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, some studies indicate that drinking more than four cups of coffee per day can lead to rheumatoid arthritis.

Find more info at www.CaffeineAwareness.org

what is your take on recent studies about the multiple health benefits of coffee?

 

[CCafe]

Who cares about the chemicals in coffee, walk outside and take a deep breath.

The BBC released a nice little article on decaf back in 2005 on the risk of drinking it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4444908.stm

This is one of the reasons I like to give people for not drinking decaf even though it is only a study.

 

[fishfool]

as usual, wikipedia can help out with that - then again, you need to double check anything you find on wikipedia cause a lot of times, it''s crap


YAY CAFFEINE - -Fishfool @ The Reef Tank

 

[CJA]

Learned something new here tonight re: decaf chemicals etc...thanks guys!

Chris

 

[peterjschmidt]

caffeineland, you win the prize for digging up the most old threads in one day! Congrats! JK How about heading to the Welcome threads and giving yourself an intro.

 

[Sparky90]

Hmm, I suppose it depends on how much you're drinnking and yes, step outside and you're bombarded with chemicals, actually, not just outside, in our own homes too.
Also, that study doesn't look that great, it's impossible to have a control group and where other factors taken into account? Like diet, genetics, exercise etc?