Caffeine - Decaffeination

People who are sensitive to caffeine or those who want to moderate their caffeine intake can still enjoy their favorite beverages in decaffeinated forms. Decaffeination removes almost all the caffeine (about 97%) from coffee or tea. There are three common methods of decaffeination.

• The direct method uses methylene chloride, which dissolves caffeine, to remove caffeine from green coffee beans and moist tea leaves. Then a further process removes the methylene chloride from the product.
• The water method uses water to dissolve the caffeine from steamed coffee beans or tea leaves. Then the caffeine is removed from the water by using methylene chloride, and the decaffeinated water is added back to the coffee or tea to enhance flavor. The beans or leaves are steamed again to remove any methylene chloride remaining.
• The carbon dioxide method, which is the newest, uses carbon dioxide to remove caffeine. This process leaves in more flavor than the other two methods.

Methylene chloride, in its inhaled form, is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals. When methylene chloride is diluted in their drinking water, however, the laboratory animals do not develop cancer. The FDA has analyzed decaffeinated coffee made through the direct method and found that so little methylene chloride is left in the final product that any risk of it causing cancer is remote. The amount of methylene chloride in the finished product is less than that found in the air on a smoggy day.

Some people find that decaffeinated coffee lacks some of the flavor of regular coffee. Using fresh-ground or flavored decaffeinated coffee beans may help brew a better-tasting pot of coffee. Using half regular coffee and half decaffeinated coffee can also help cut down caffeine intake, as can simply drinking fewer caffeineladen drinks per day. Hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and herbal teas make good low-caffeine or caffeine-free substitutes for those wanting to limit their caffeine intake.

What Do They Do with the Caffeine They Take Out?

The caffeine removed from coffee and tea is a useful by-product. It can be used in medications or added to soft drinks to increase their caffeine content. Some is processed into theophylline, which is used in medications for asthma and emphysema.