The Secret of Instant Coffee Being "Instant" | Beverage Supplier

Instant coffee was my first experience with coffee. It accompanied me through the years of studying, taking exams, and entering the workplace. At that time, business trips often gave me headaches due to the fatigue of the journey, so the first thing I did when I arrived at the hotel was to look for instant coffee in the room.

Although instant coffee has nothing to do with specialty coffee for a long time, we have to admit that it played the role of "enlightenment" for many of us. A small, long bag of powder, tear open, pour into water, stir, and a cup of sweet coffee is ready. Many times, especially when time and environment are limited, even people who are used to drinking specialty coffee cannot refuse this ultimate convenient experience.

When we came to the era of specialty coffee, many people, when they first got a bag of coffee powder or drip coffee, almost brewed it like instant coffee without thinking, but when we found that it did not dissolve perfectly as expected, we usually drank this cup of "freshly ground coffee" with dregs with doubts and caution. I believe many people have had such an experience. So, what is the difference between instant coffee and coffee powder?

Although they are both called "coffee", and their colors and appearances are similar, and they do contain caffeine to refresh, there is a fundamental difference between instant coffee and coffee powder. Before instant coffee was invented (in the late 19th century), coffee had to be brewed with ground coffee beans. Roasted coffee beans were important military supplies and were transported to the battlefield along with bacon, biscuits and other foods. However, such coffee is time-consuming and laborious to carry, grind and brew in a very difficult battlefield environment, and it obviously cannot meet the needs. Therefore, instant coffee was invented, which greatly improved this situation.

Grind the coffee into powder, brew it and filter it, and you get the liquid coffee we drink. The substances in coffee that can be dissolved in water are basically dissolved, including what we need most-caffeine. Dry such liquid coffee and remove the water in it to get dry substances containing caffeine, and they are all soluble in water. This is instant coffee.

It is not difficult to see that instant coffee is an extract of coffee, not all of it. A large amount of water-insoluble substances (mainly wood fiber) contained in coffee beans have been removed. This is the secret of instant coffee's "instant dissolution".

However, when making instant coffee, although soluble substances are retained, many substances that bring good flavor, especially volatile aroma substances, have been volatilized during the extraction process. In particular, the traditional spray-drying process uses high temperature to evaporate water, which will lead to over-extraction, enhanced bitterness, and loss of aroma. Although the aroma will be backfilled during packaging, it is difficult to completely restore it. For cost considerations, many instant coffee raw materials use cheaper and less flavorful Robusta coffee beans, which further lose flavor.

In order to make up for the lack of flavor and taste, some instant coffees will add sugar and non-dairy creamer (commonly known as three-in-one coffee), which brings certain health risks (due to technological advances, there is no need to worry about trans fats brought by non-dairy creamer, but it is still recommended to reduce sugar intake).

However, this situation has changed in recent years. With the advancement of technology, instant coffee has made great improvements in bean varieties, processes and additives, and its flavor is catching up with freshly ground coffee. If you value convenience, you only need to pay more attention to the ingredient list when choosing instant coffee. The last time I took a plane, I asked for a cup of coffee when the flight attendant distributed drinks. It was a cup of instant coffee with a very light color and non-dairy creamer. I tasted it carefully. It was sweet and not bitter at all. It was a familiar taste in my student days. In the roar of the plane, in the crowded cabin, in the cramped seat, at that moment I thought it was quite delicious.

What is instant coffee?

Instant coffee is a dried coffee extract obtained by evaporating the water from roasted coffee beans through a special process. This extract can be quickly dissolved in hot water, providing consumers with a convenient and fast coffee drink.

Instant coffee is popular for its convenient and fast characteristics. Consumers only need to pour instant coffee into a cup, add hot water and stir to enjoy. In addition, instant coffee also has a variety of tastes and flavors, such as original, mocha, latte, etc., to meet the needs of different consumers.

However, it is worth noting that because instant coffee may lose some of the original flavor and aroma of coffee during processing, and some artificial additives and sugar may be added, its taste and nutritional value may not be as good as freshly ground coffee. Therefore, when choosing instant coffee, consumers should pay attention to the product's ingredient list and nutritional information, choose low-sugar, low-additive products, and drink in moderation.

Instant coffee production process

1. Pretreatment:

• Remove impurities in coffee beans, such as bean skins, strings, ash, stones, etc.
• Remove these impurities through physical methods such as screening and sorting to ensure the purity of coffee beans.

2. Roasting:

• Continuously heat the beans to cause a series of physical and chemical reactions.
• The moisture content of coffee beans decreases, the volume increases, the density decreases, and the color becomes darker.
• The roasted coffee beans will obtain the desired aromatic flavor, reduce sourness and increase bitterness.

3. Grinding:

• Grind the roasted coffee beans into particles of a certain size.
• The purpose of grinding is to increase the surface area of ​​the roasted beans and improve the efficiency of the next extraction step.

4. Extraction:

• Under a certain temperature and pressure, water and steam are passed into the ground coffee beans.
• The soluble matter in the ground coffee powder is dissolved in water to obtain coffee extract.

5. Concentration:

• Use vacuum evaporators and other equipment to increase the concentration of coffee at a lower temperature (-50°C).
• The main purpose of concentration is to reduce the water content in the coffee extract to about 40%, which is convenient for subsequent drying operations.

6. Drying:

• This is the process of forming instant coffee powder, and it is also the step that has the greatest impact on the quality of coffee powder in the entire processing process.
• Generally, spray drying is used to directly dry the liquid coffee extract into powder.
• The liquid is atomized and sprayed into droplets and dispersed in the hot air, which is fully in contact with the hot air to evaporate the water quickly to achieve the purpose of drying.
• Another drying method is freeze drying. Although it can better protect the aromatic substances in coffee, the process is more complicated, and the energy consumption and production cost are higher.

What effects does drinking instant coffee have on the body?

Positive effects:

1. Refreshing: Instant coffee contains caffeine, which is a central nervous system stimulant that can stimulate the cerebral cortex, increase alertness and attention, and reduce muscle fatigue, thereby playing a refreshing role.
2. Promote metabolism: Caffeine can stimulate the central nervous system, promote the body's metabolism, and help consume calories and fat.
3. Antioxidant: Coffee contains antioxidants that can eliminate free radicals and reduce the damage of oxidative stress to the body.

Negative effects:

1. Cause obesity: The sugar content in instant coffee is usually high. If you drink it frequently and in large quantities, it will cause the body to take in too much sugar, which will be converted into fat and accumulate in the body, causing obesity.
2. Induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: Instant coffee contains trans fatty acids, which increase the content of low-density lipoprotein in the blood and reduce the content of high-density lipoprotein, thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In addition, caffeine can stimulate the heart, causing tachycardia and arrhythmia, further increasing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
3. Induce cancer: Instant coffee may add a lot of flavors and additives to blend during the production process, which may be harmful to the human body. In addition, instant coffee also contains acrylamide, a carcinogen, and long-term large-scale drinking may increase the risk of cancer.
4. Cause gastrointestinal discomfort: Caffeine in instant coffee may stimulate gastric acid secretion and cause damage to the digestive tract. For people who already have problems such as gastritis, peptic ulcers or colitis, long-term drinking may cause stomach discomfort, such as stomach pain, diarrhea and other symptoms.
5. Cause blood sugar to rise: Instant coffee contains white sugar and glucose syrup, and long-term drinking may cause blood sugar levels to rise.
6. Affect sleep: The caffeine component in instant coffee may cause the brain nerves to be in an excited state for a long time, thereby affecting the quality of sleep at night.

How to choose a healthier instant coffee?

When choosing the healthiest instant coffee, we need to pay attention to its ingredients, additive content and possible health effects.

1. Low sugar or sugar-free:Sugar is added to most instant coffees to increase its taste. However, excessive sugar intake may lead to problems such as increased blood sugar and obesity. Therefore, it is healthier to choose low-sugar or sugar-free instant coffee. You can pay attention to the product label and choose those instant coffees with low or no sugar content per serving.

2. Low fat and low cholesterol:Although instant coffee itself does not contain fat and cholesterol, some products may add ingredients such as creamer or non-dairy creamer, which may contain high fat and cholesterol. Choose pure coffee powder without creamer or non-dairy creamer, or choose products with low-fat creamer.

3. No artificial additives and preservatives:Some instant coffees may contain artificial flavors, pigments, preservatives and other ingredients, which may have a negative impact on human health. Choose instant coffees with simple ingredient lists and without too many artificial additives and preservatives.

4. Moderate caffeine content:Caffeine is the main active ingredient in instant coffee. A moderate amount of caffeine intake can improve alertness and concentration. However, excessive caffeine intake may cause problems such as accelerated heart rate and insomnia. Choose instant coffees with moderate caffeine content and avoid excessive intake.

5. Contains antioxidants:Coffee contains some antioxidants, which can eliminate free radicals and reduce the damage of oxidative stress to the body. Choose instant coffees with higher antioxidant content, such as some instant coffees with added green tea extract, blueberry extract and other ingredients.
   

6. Choose well-known brands: Well-known brands usually pay more attention to product quality and safety, and their instant coffee raw material sources, production processes, etc. are more secure. Choose instant coffee produced by well-known brands with good reputation and credibility. There are many well-known brands in the instant coffee market, such as Nestle, Maxwell, UCC, Hogood Coffee, G7 Coffee, etc. These brands have their own characteristics and meet the needs of different consumers.