JPH0870773A - Promotion of coffee bean aging - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To shorten the aging period for raw coffee beans and inexpensively produce the coffee whose highgrade quality is comparale to that after 1 to 5 years' aging at low temperatures according to the conventional technique. CONSTITUTION: Raw coffee beans are arranged in the alternating field of a static voltage generator and subjected to static induction treatment thereby shortening the aging period of the raw coffee beans. In the static voltage generator, the wire for the primary coil 3 is connected to an AC power source, while one terminal 5a of the wire of the secondary coil 4 is insulated and the other terminal 5b is connected to a stainless steel electrode 7 set in a liquid-treating tank 6 and the liquid-treating tank is insulated from the ground 9 with an insulator 8 to form an alternative current field of 3,000-4,500V (field intensity: 0.3-12KV) generated to the stainless steel electrode 7 and 0.5-1.5μA current, when raw coffee beans are treated in the alternating field.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for accelerating the ripening of coffee, which is characterized by shortening the aging period of green coffee beans and improving the quality.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Coffee is commercialized by aging its green beans at a low temperature for 1 to 5 years and then roasting it (grinding). The longer the aging period, the higher the quality of coffee. But,
One of the causes of the high production cost of coffee is to keep the green coffee beans at a low temperature for a long period of 1 to 5 years and to require a vast aging place.

[0003]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the drawbacks of the conventional coffee ripening method, in which coffee green beans and roasted green beans are subjected to a static induction treatment for a short time (1 to 15 days). The purpose of this is to shorten the aging period of green coffee beans and to produce high quality coffee at a low cost, which is about the same as that of conventional coffee green beans aged at low temperature for 1 to 5 years. is there.

[0004]

The present invention relates to a method for accelerating ripening of coffee, in which coffee green beans and roasted green beans are placed in an AC electric field of an electrostatic voltage generator, and the coffee beans are It is characterized by shortening the ripening period of green coffee beans by carrying out static induction treatment by means of static electricity.

Further, in the above-described method for accelerating the ripening of coffee, the present invention connects the primary winding of the primary side circuit of the outer iron type circular winding transformer using an iron core to an AC power source as a static voltage generator. Insulate one end of the secondary winding of the secondary circuit of the transformer and connect the other end to a stainless steel electrode provided in the liquid processing tank made of an insulating material. The insulator of 1 is configured to be insulated from the ground, and the voltage of 3000 to 4500 V (electric field strength 0.3 to 12 KV / m) and 0.5 to 1.5 μA generated on the stainless steel electrode in the liquid processing tank. It is characterized in that coffee aging is efficiently promoted by arranging green coffee beans and roasted green beans in an alternating electric field formed by the electric current of (1) and performing an electrostatic induction treatment.

[0006]

[Function] The green beans and roasted green beans of coffee are subjected to dielectric and electronic polarization by electrostatic induction treatment to rotate and vibrate the water molecules in the green beans of coffee to disperse and disperse the molecular groups. By accelerating, the water content in green coffee beans will be less than before treatment, and the organic matter in the water will be decomposed,
It reduces the structure of caffeine components (basic nitrogen compounds such as alkaloids), promotes maturation, roasts, ground and drinks the taste and smell of coffee. Improves quality by maturing to the same level as those aged for 5 years.

As described above, according to the present invention, the static induction treatment is performed by arranging green coffee beans and roasted green beans in the AC electric field of the static induction treatment device. ,
A phenomenon in which electricity is induced in an object by an external electrical action that is not in contact.

The water content of green coffee beans consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, the hydrogen atom is charged to + and the oxygen atom is charged to −, and one water molecule is both + and −. It has the electric pole (both polarities) of, and the force that + and-electricity strongly attracts each other between water molecules, that is, the hydrogen bonding force between the molecules. When the electrostatic induction treatment is performed by using the above-mentioned method, there is a great feature in that the hydrogen bonding force between molecules becomes strong due to the external electric action described above.

When the hydrogen bonding force between the molecules of water in the green coffee beans becomes strong by the electrostatic induction treatment, (1) the water content in the green coffee beans becomes smaller than that before the processing. (2) Degradation of harmful organic substances such as water in green coffee beans
Decrease. (3) As for the pH of coffee, the acidic side shifts to alkali and the alkaline side shifts to acidic, and the pH of the entire coffee becomes weakly acidic and becomes constant. (4) The conductivity and redox potential are stable when brewed as coffee. (5) The osmotic pressure when brewed as coffee increases. (6) When brewed as coffee, the taste and smell become mellow.

As the static voltage generator for performing the electrostatic induction treatment of the present invention, a known static voltage generator, for example,
A densicharger manufactured by Electron Charger Laboratories and an electron charger manufactured by JEOL Ltd. can be used.

An example of the electrostatic voltage generator for performing the electrostatic induction treatment of the present invention will be described below by taking the densifier charger type manufactured by Electron Charger Laboratories Inc. as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a transformer for generating an AC high voltage of a static voltage generator, which is an outer iron type circular winding type using a stratified iron core 2 The primary winding 3 of the side circuit is connected to an AC power source, one end 5a of the secondary winding 4 of the secondary side circuit of the transformer 1 is insulated, and the other end of the secondary winding 4 of the secondary side circuit is insulated. 5b, processing tank 6 installed separately
It is connected to the stainless steel electrode 7 provided inside. Further, the processing tank 6 is configured to be in an insulated state by an insulator 8 such as an insulator and a ground (earth) 9. However, a small electric circuit is formed between the ground 9 and the primary side circuit of the transformer 1 due to the leakage current.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transformer 1 has a tubular insulating film 10 fitted in the center of an iron core 2 and further has the above-mentioned primary winding 3 and secondary winding on the outer peripheral surface of the insulating film 10. Wrap with wire 4. As the primary winding 3, for example, a copper wire coated with polyester having a diameter of 0.6 mm is used to make 230 turns, and as the secondary winding 4, for example, a copper wire coated with enamel having a diameter of 0.09 mm is used. It is used 40,000 times, but 40,000 of this secondary winding 4
Among the windings, the first winding group 4a has 22,000 windings and the second winding group 4b has 18,000 windings. The diameter and type of the copper wire, the number of turns of the copper wire, and the like are appropriately determined according to the type of coffee, the aging degree of coffee, and the like.

However, in the usual case, those having a diameter of 0.03 to 3 mm can be used, and the type of copper wire is not limited to the one coated with polyester or enamel, and is usually used as a copper wire. The number of turns of the copper wire may be 200 to 25 for the primary winding 3.
The number of turns is 0, the number of secondary windings 4 is 28000 to 40,000, and the first winding group 4 of the secondary windings 4 is
A may be 16800 to 22000 and the second winding group 4B may be 11200 to 18000.

Among the number of turns of the secondary winding 4, the number of turns of the second winding group 4b and the number of turns of the first winding group 4a are differentiated so that as shown in FIG. The outer diameter of the group 4B is made smaller than that of the first winding group 4A, that is, the second winding group 4A
The cap G2 between the iron core 2 and the second core is made 1.5 to 2 times larger than the cap G1 between the first winding group 4a and the iron core 2.

The other end 5b of the secondary winding 4, which is a lead wire on the outer peripheral surface of the first winding group 4a, is used as an output line for the processing tank 6
And the other end 5a of the secondary winding 4 which is a lead-out line on the outer peripheral surface of the second winding group 4B.
The insulating state is as described above.

One end 5a of the secondary winding 4 has one end of the secondary winding 4 which is formed by winding an insulating tape around the tip of the secondary winding 4 and filling the transformer with an insulating material such as tar pitch. Insulation is performed by covering 5a, but insulating oil, unsaturated polyester resin, polyurethane resin or the like may be used as the insulating material in addition to tar pitch.

Polyethylene resin is preferably used as the material of the processing tank 6, but any material other than polyethylene resin can be used as long as it is an insulating material and does not allow the eluate to flow out. Although the metal mesh cylindrical shape is most suitable for the stainless steel electrode 7, a slit shape, a perforated plate shape, or any other shape may be used in addition to this.

When an alternating current is applied to the transformer 1 to raise the primary voltage of the transformer 1 to 100V, a voltage of about 12000 to 18000V is generated on the secondary side in the transformer 1, but the secondary side is generated. The other end 5 of the second winding group 4B of the secondary winding 4 of the circuit
Since a is insulated, the stainless steel electrode in the processing tank 6 connected to the other end 5b of the secondary winding 4 which is a lead wire on the outer peripheral surface of the first winding group 4a of the secondary winding 4 About 7 to 350
A voltage of 0 to 4500 V produces a current of about 1.5 μA. That is, between the stainless steel electrode 7 in the processing tank 6 and the ground 9 outside the processing tank 6, the coffee beans and roasted beans that have flowed into the processing tank 6 are electrostatically induced to cause dielectric polarization (electronic polarization). It constitutes the alternating electric field required for generation.

About 1200 generated on the secondary side in the transformer 1
The voltage of 0 to 18000 V becomes a voltage of about 3500 to 4500 V (current of about 1.5 μA) at the stainless steel electrode 7 in the processing tank 6 from the grounding 9 outside the processing tank 6 to the above-mentioned transformer 1. Primary winding of the primary side circuit 3,
After passing through the secondary winding 4 of the secondary side circuit of the transformer 1, the secondary winding 4
The other end 5b of the stainless electrode 7 in the processing tank 6
It is due to the AC resistance circuit formed by connecting to.

The voltage of the stainless steel electrode 7 in the processing tank 6 generated by the AC resistance circuit as described above is about 3500 to 4500V, but the current is about 1.5.
Since it is as small as μA, it is safe for the human body and does not cause electric shock or fire.

The voltage and current generated in the stainless steel electrode 7 are appropriately changed by a voltage regulator (slidac) 11 provided on the AC power source side according to the type of green coffee beans and the static induction treatment conditions. In the normal case, when the voltage is 100 to 4500 V and the current is 0.5 to 1.5 μA, water molecules in green coffee beans are electrostatically induced and an AC electric field suitable for performing dielectric polarization and electronic polarization. Can be configured.

The stainless steel electrode 7 in the processing tank 6
In FIG. 4, when the stainless steel electrode 7 is positively charged, the negative charge is dielectricized to the ground 9, and when the stainless steel electrode 7 is negatively charged, the positive charge is dielectricized to the ground 9, as shown in FIG. Depending on the frequency of the AC power supply, the positive and negative charges of the stainless steel electrode 7 are exchanged for the frequency (50 to 60 times) per second, and accordingly, the charges of the ground 9 are also dielectricized and the positive and negative charges are changed. Will be replaced.

A general substance is composed of atoms, which are composed of atomic nuclei and electrons, and the atomic nuclei are composed of neutrons and protons. Then, in the steady state where an electron with a negative charge makes a circular motion around the nucleus and the electric field does not act from the outside, the positive charge of the proton and the negative charge of the electron are equal and stable. It is in a state.

However, when a high voltage is applied from the outside, the electrons move to one side and the protons move to the other side, so that the electric centers of gravity of the atoms do not coincide with each other, and the atoms have one electric dipole. Therefore, an internal electric field is generated due to the balance of charges and polarization is caused.

In this case, since atoms (molecules) are polarized by an external electric field, it is called electronic polarization or atomic polarization, and is a molecule of water contained in coffee beans and all molecules contained in water contained in coffee beans. , The positively charged molecule moves to one side, and the negatively charged molecule moves to the other. Then, the movement of the molecule is switched 50 to 60 times per second in accordance with the exchange of the positive charge and the negative charge due to the electrostatic induction described above, and thereafter, this is repeated.

Green coffee beans are placed in an AC electric field generated in the stainless steel electrode 7 in the processing tank 6 to perform an electrostatic induction process, and the dielectric polarization and the electronic polarization based on the electrostatic induction cause an internal electric field in the processing tank 6. It imparts rotation and vibration to the molecules of water in coffee beans and all the molecules in water to promote the detachment and dispersion of the molecular population.

As a result of the electrostatic induction treatment described above, a state in which a positively charged hydrogen atom and a negatively charged oxygen atom are electrically strongly attracted to each other to increase the intermolecular hydrogen bonding force. Let That is, the water content in green coffee beans decreases, the pH when brewed as coffee is weakly acidic, the conductivity and redox potential are stable, the osmotic pressure increases, the color is extracted, and the taste is improved. And the smell becomes mellow.

The electrostatic induction treatment conditions include the type of coffee, the water content of green coffee beans, the voltage of the stainless electrode 7,
Although it is appropriately determined according to the current, etc., in a normal case, the electrostatic induction treatment time may be a short time of 1 to 15 days, and the electrostatic induction applied voltage is 100 to 4500 V (electric field strength 0.3 to 12 KV
/ M), preferably 100 to 1500 V (electric field strength of 0.
3 to 3.8 KV / m) and the aging temperature of 10 to 35 ° C. is sufficient.

[0029]

Example 1 42 g of green coffee beans produced in Brazil were connected to an insulating 30 liter static electricity generator connected to a densicharger type static pressure generator manufactured by Electron Charger Laboratories Ltd. as shown in FIG. It was placed in the treatment tank.

As the transformer of this static voltage generator, the primary winding of the transformer is 230 turns of copper wire coated with 0.6 mm polyester, and the secondary winding is coated with 0.09 mm enamel. The copper wire used is 30000 turns (18000 turns for the first winding group, 12000 turns for the second winding group), and the processing tank is a glass tank of 30 liters with a wire mesh stainless steel electrode built-in. In addition to the above, an insulator provided in the lower part of the tank and grounded and insulated was used.

Then, AC of 100 V is applied to the transformer described above, and 100 V (electric field strength of 0.3 KV / electric field strength 0.3 KV /
m) is generated, and 7 g each of green coffee beans are packed in a plastic bag and placed in an AC electric field of such a treatment tank at 25 ° C. for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days. ,
7 days, 10 days, 14 days of aging by the static induction treatment of 6 stages (the method of the present invention), each coffee bean is taken out from the treatment tank after the number of days of the static induction treatment, 7g of green beans of each coffee 150c after roasting by a known method
Coffee was obtained by decocting with boiling water of c.

On the other hand, 7 g of the above-mentioned green coffee beans of Brazilian coffee were roasted by a known method (Comparative Example Method 1) without any special treatment such as electrostatic induction treatment, and then 15
Coffee was obtained by decocting with 0 cc of boiling water, and at the same time, 7 g of the above-mentioned Brazilian green coffee beans aged for 3 years was roasted by a known method (Comparative Example Method 2),
Coffee obtained by brewing with 0 cc of boiling water and subjected to static induction treatment (invention method), non-static induction treatment (Comparative Example Method 1), and aged for 3 years (Comparative Example Method) Comparing 2), the results shown in Table 1 below were obtained.

Table 1 Comparative Example Method of the Present Invention Method 1 Comparative Example Method 2 Coffee Coffee Coffee Aged 1 day 3 days 5 days 7 days 10 days 14 days Not aged 3 years Aged period Taste + + ++ ++ + +-++ Odor + + ++ ++ + +-++ Absorption spectrum (% transmittance) 56 75 100 95 65 59 58 100 pH 5.27 5.38 5.39 5.40 5.34 5.29 5.19 5.31 Redox 165 168 171 168 166 165 165 172 original potential (mV) conductivity 2240 1812 1640 1819 1897 1848 2150 1554 (μs / cm) In the method of the present invention and the comparative example method, the difference in taste and smell of coffee was compared by sensory tests by 6 panelists. However, ++ indicates excellent, + indicates good, and-indicates poor. In addition, the comparison by the absorption spectrum was also performed.
The absorption spectra (transmittance%) were compared with the 3-year maturity at a wavelength of 440 nm being 100.

[0034]

[Example 2] 42 g of roasted coffee beans from Brazil
Was placed in an insulative treatment tank of 30 liters connected to a densicharger type electrostatic voltage generator manufactured by Electron Charger Laboratories, Inc. as shown in FIG.

As the transformer of this static voltage generator, the primary winding of the transformer is 230 turns of copper wire coated with 0.6 mm polyester, and the secondary winding is coated with 0.09 mm enamel. The copper wire used is 30000 turns (18000 turns for the first winding group, 12000 turns for the second winding group), and the processing tank is a 30-liter polyethylene resin tank with a wire mesh stainless steel electrode. In addition to the above, an insulator provided in the lower part of the tank and grounded and insulated was used.

Then, AC of 100 V is applied to the transformer described above, and 500 V (electric field strength of 1.6 KV /
m) is generated, and 7 g of coffee roasted beans are placed in a plastic bag and placed in an AC electric field of such a treatment tank at 20 ° C. for 1 day, 3 days, 5 days.
After maturation (the method of the present invention) by 6 stages of electrostatic induction treatment on each day of 10th and 14th, the roasted roasted beans of each coffee were taken out from the treatment tank after the respective days of the electrostatic induction treatment, and Coffee roasted 7 g of green beans was decocted with hot water of 150 cc to obtain coffee.

On the other hand, 7 g of roasted soybeans of Bruzil coffee mentioned above were treated without special treatment such as electrostatic induction treatment.
As it is, a well-known method (Comparative Example Method 1) was used to obtain roasted coffee in 150 cc of boiling water, and at the same time, 7 g of the above-mentioned Brazilian green coffee was ripened for 3 years. After roasting in 2), coffee was obtained by brewing in 150 cc of boiling water and subjected to static induction treatment (example of the method of the present invention) and one not subjected to static induction treatment (comparative example method 1) for 3 years. When the matured ones (Comparative Example Method 2) were compared, the results shown in Table 2 below were obtained.

Table 2 Comparative Example Method 1 of the Present Invention Comparative Example Method 2 Coffee Coffee Coffee Maturity 1 day 3 days 5 days 7 days 10 days 14 days No maturation 3 years maturation period taste ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +-++ Smell ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +-++ Absorption spectrum 100 89 95 83 90 70 58 100 (% transmittance) pH 5.32 5.28 5.29 5.26 5.30 5.24 5.31 5.19 Redox 113 93 91 78 85 74 112 97 original potential (mV) conductivity) 1410 1860 1730 1990 1670 1950 1680 1710 (μs / cm) The difference in taste and smell of coffee between the method of the present invention and the method of Comparative Example is that six panelists According to the sensory test according to, ++ indicates excellent, + indicates good, and-indicates poor.
In addition, a comparison based on absorption spectra was also performed. The absorption spectra (transmittance%) were compared with the 3-year maturity at a wavelength of 440 nm being 100.

As is clear from the above results, the quality of the roasted green soybean coffee aged by the static induction treatment of the method of the present invention and the maturation by the static induction treatment of 5 to 7 days. The quality of the roasted green soybean coffee is equivalent to the quality of coffee aged for 3 years in Comparative Example Method 2,
The quality of coffee that was not ripened by the electrostatic induction treatment of Comparative Example Method 1 was not good. In the method of the present invention, when the aging period is increased to 14 days or more by the electrostatic induction treatment, the quality of coffee is not improved so much.

[0040]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, green coffee beans and roasted green soybeans are subjected to an electrostatic induction treatment only for an extremely short time of 1 to 15 days, and the green coffee beans are aged to obtain conventional coffee beans. High-quality coffee with good taste and odor can be produced to the same level as green beans that have been aged at low temperature for 1 to 5 years.
There is an excellent effect that the production cost of coffee can be drastically reduced because it can be reduced to 1/00.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural explanatory view of a processing tank including a transformer and a stainless steel electrode of a static voltage generator used in a coffee ripening promotion method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a transformer of the static voltage generator used in the coffee ripening promotion method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the outer diameter of the second winding group of the secondary winding is smaller than the outer diameter of the first winding group in the transformer of the static voltage generator used in the coffee ripening promotion method of the present invention. FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a static induction treatment state in a stainless steel electrode in a treatment tank used in the coffee ripening promotion method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 transformer of static voltage generator 2 iron core 3 primary winding 4 secondary winding 4 a first winding group 4 b second winding group 5a one end of secondary winding 4 5b secondary winding 4 other Edge 6 Processing tank 7 Stainless steel electrode 8 Insulator 9 Grounding 10 Insulating film 11 Voltage regulator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. The aging period of green coffee beans is improved by placing green coffee beans or roasted green beans in an AC electric field of a static voltage generator and subjecting the green coffee beans to an electrostatic induction treatment. A method of accelerating coffee ripening that shortens and improves quality. 2. As the static voltage generator, the primary winding of the outer iron type circular winding transformer using an iron core is connected to an AC power source, and the secondary winding of the secondary circuit of the transformer is connected. One end of the winding is insulated, the other end is connected to a stainless steel electrode provided in a liquid processing tank made of an insulating material, and the liquid processing tank is insulated from ground by an insulator such as an insulator. Then, 3000 to 4500 V generated on the stainless steel electrode in the liquid processing tank (electric field strength of 0.
3. The method for accelerating ripening of coffee according to claim 1, wherein green coffee beans or green coffee beans are placed in an AC electric field formed by a voltage of 3 to 12 KV / m) and a current of 0.5 to 1.5 μA.