Coffee knowledge and: Things about instant coffee

While more and more people know about specialty coffee, 50% of the world's coffee bean production is still used to make instant coffee. Many people's first impression of coffee is inseparable from various three-in-one instant coffees. What is the charm of such an elusive coffee product? Why is it facing so many doubts? Let's explore it in this article.

As coffee becomes increasingly refined, more and more coffee shops are labeling themselves as hand-brewed coffee, coffee from boutique origins, and freshly roasted coffee.

While people are accepting black coffee and specialty coffee, they are also becoming more aware of the pros and cons of instant coffee. Is it healthy? Does it cause cancer? More and more doubts are beginning to fill the market. However, according to a report by IMARC (The International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group), the market value of instant coffee still reached US$8.6 billion in 2015.

As early as 1890, New Zealander David Strang invented instant coffee technology and applied for a patent. Later, George Washington invented the technology for mass production of instant coffee and launched it on the market in 1910. In 1938, in order to cope with the problem of coffee bean surplus, the Brazilian government and Nestlé jointly improved the production technology, especially adding an equal amount of soluble carbohydrates before drying to improve the flavor. Nestlé thus became the leading brand in the instant coffee industry. In the 1980s, Maxwell House and Nestlé Coffee entered the Chinese market one after another. The instant coffee of the two giants brought China the first coffee enlightenment .

The production process of instant coffee mainly includes the following parts:

1. Pretreatment: Removing impurities from coffee raw materials

2. Roasting: The substances in the coffee beans undergo complex physical and chemical reactions to form unique coffee aroma substances

3. Grinding: Grind the cooked beans into powder

4. Extraction: Extract the soluble ingredients in coffee into water under a certain temperature and pressure

5. Concentration & Drying: Forming process to obtain instant coffee powder

Looking at this production method, it can be said to be a major innovative invention , which greatly simplified the previously complicated coffee brewing process, making coffee quickly popular as a simple and accessible beverage, and directly led to the world's first wave of coffee craze .

(The second wave of coffee was mainly Starbucks Italian coffee)

(The third wave of coffee is mainly boutique coffee shops)

The three sins of instant coffee

It is undeniable that there are many problems hidden in the above production methods. The traditional coffee industry's criticisms of instant coffee exist in the following aspects:

①The degree of roasting of instant coffee often remains at a relatively elementary stage, and the depth of roasting cannot fully reflect the aroma of the coffee beans .

② Due to cost issues, the raw materials for making instant coffee are generally high-yield, low-priced, bitter and high-caffeine Robusta beans. Broken beans, bad beans and poorly developed varieties are often roasted and ground without screening. The finished coffee will have a poor flavor and long-term drinking is not good for the body .

③The actual coffee content of most three-in-one instant coffees on the market today is only about 1/4 to 1/3 of the original ground coffee. The rest is the so-called coffee companion added to improve the taste - that is, industrial non-dairy creamer, which consists of a large amount of white sugar, glucose syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oil (hydrogenated vegetable oil contains trans fatty acids, and long-term consumption will cause clear harm to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system ).

Two major methods of making instant coffee

In the process of instant coffee processing, the drying method is the forming process of instant coffee powder, and it is also the process that has the greatest impact on the quality of coffee powder during the processing. The following introduces the similarities and differences between the two drying methods:

Spray Dryer (SD): Spray drying is the most widely used drying method in industrial production.

Advantages: high efficiency, low cost

Disadvantages: There will be a great loss in aroma

▲Spray drying machine

Freeze Dryer (FD)

Advantages: The drying process is carried out under low temperature and high vacuum environment, and the heat-sensitive aromatic substances are retained, so its aroma and taste are relatively pure . This drying method can better preserve the original flavor of coffee and has become the main technology leading the new wave of instant coffee.

What are the benefits of drinking coffee?

In 2006, Spanish expert Dias pointed out that freshly brewed coffee contains more water-soluble dietary fiber than orange juice or red wine, which shocked people in the food industry.

Not only that, coffee beans are also rich in a variety of vitamins, including folic acid, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B12 and vitamin C, and contain a lot of antioxidants. In short, there are a lot of good things. Dr. Vincent of the United States has shown that the antioxidants contained in coffee far exceed those in tea and fruits and vegetables. Coffee alone accounts for 64% of the antioxidants consumed by Norwegians.

At this time, some coffee lovers will ask: What exactly are antioxidants? We know that oxygen is a basic element for maintaining life. When we inhale oxygen, it also produces a terrible byproduct, namely oxides - free radicals, which will destroy the structure at the cellular level and cause pathology.

After coffee is roasted, its antioxidant capacity increases dramatically, and the generated phenolic acid and melanin are powerful antioxidants that can repair cells and effectively inhibit chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, thereby maintaining the body's health.

Many recent studies have shown that coffee can increase cells' sensitivity to insulin , enhance glucose metabolism, and help prevent diabetes. The Netherlands Institute for Public Health said that the more coffee you drink, the lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes (adult diabetes). People who drink three cups of coffee a day can reduce the prevalence of gout by 40%.

In the past two decades, Japan, the United States, and Europe have conducted in-depth research and have all found that the more coffee you drink, the lower your chances of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer . German scientists have also revealed that strong coffee can also prevent colon cancer, confirming the role of antioxidants. Today, the anti-cancer effect of coffee has been recognized by the academic community, and I suddenly feel that coffee is really awesome! Isn't it!