Caffeine occurs naturally in more than 60 plants , including :
When separated from its source , caffeine is a white , bitter - tasting powder . SeeHow Caffeine Worksfor more information about caffein .
Several method are used to take away caffein from its natural sources :
Methylene chlorideis a chemical substance used as a solvent to educe caffein from many raw cloth . mote of caffein bond to mote of methylene chloride . The materials are softened in a water bath or in steam . The next step is to sue the materials with methylene chloride by either of two methods :
Ethyl acetateprocessed Cartesian product are referred to as " naturally decaffeinated " because ethyl acetate is a chemical substance happen naturally in many fruits . Caffeine is press out in the same way as with methylene chloride processing , but ethyl acetate is the solvent .
To decaffeinate usingcarbon dioxide ( CO2 ) , water - softened fabric are " imperativeness cook " with the flatulency . At high pressures and in high spirits temperatures , carbon dioxide is in a supercritical country , acting as both a gasoline and a liquid . It becomes a solvent with its small , nonionic molecules attracting the pocket-sized caffein molecules . Since flavor molecules are larger , they stay entire , which is why this mental process retains the flavor of the material intimately .
caffein extraction withwateris used primarily for coffee decaffeination . The process is alike to the " collateral " method used in methylene chloride processing , but no chemical are used . After the caffein is leached out of the stuff by intoxicate in hot piss for a period of time , the solvent is then pass through a carbon paper filter for caffein removal . The water supply is then returned to the bean plant for reabsorption of flavors and oils . In the " Swiss Water Process , " the same method is used , but instead of soaking in pee , the beans are soaked in a coffee - season result . This results in the caffeine being extract without transfer the coffee flavors .
caffein is not bump off completely using any of these methods , but under federal regulations in the United States , caffein level must not be above 2.5 pct of the product in order for a product to be labeled " decaffeinate . "
Most of the caffein take away in processing is manufacture for use in other production , such as medicines and soft beverage . For example , less than 5 pct of the caffein find in colon drinks is actually from the Musgoi nut , and many of the popular " high caffeine " easy boozing do not contain kola nut infusion at all . The caffein contentedness of soft drinkable is principally , and sometimes completely , from the summation of caffein extracted from decaffeination processes .
