초록 ▼

An aqueous extract of tea, containing native tea tannins and caffeine, is cooled to provide an aqueous solubles phase containing cold-water soluble components of the extract, including a minor portion of the caffeine, and an insolubles phase containing tea tannins complexed with a major portion of t

An aqueous extract of tea, containing native tea tannins and caffeine, is cooled to provide an aqueous solubles phase containing cold-water soluble components of the extract, including a minor portion of the caffeine, and an insolubles phase containing tea tannins complexed with a major portion of the caffeine. The aqueous solubles phase is separated from the insolubles phase, and the latter is subjected to decaffeination to provide decaffeinated tannins which may then be recombined with the aqueous solubles phase. The resulting treated extract from which the major portion of the caffeine has been removed can be dried or, if desired, subjected to further decaffeination and thereafter dried to provide a cold-water-soluble decaffeinated tea. Further features of the invention are set forth in the following description.

대표청구항 ▼

Process for decaffeinating a tea extract which contains caffeine and tannins capable of complexing with caffeine comprising: (a) cooling said extract sufficiently to form (i) an aqueous solubles phase containing cold-water soluble components of the cooled extract, including a portion of the caffeine

Process for decaffeinating a tea extract which contains caffeine and tannins capable of complexing with caffeine comprising: (a) cooling said extract sufficiently to form (i) an aqueous solubles phase containing cold-water soluble components of the cooled extract, including a portion of the caffeine, and (ii) an insolubles phase containing a cold-water-insoluble complex of tannins with another portion of the caffeine; (b) separating the solubles phase from the insolubles phase; (c) treating the insolubles phase to remove caffeine therefrom; (d) adding decaffeinated tannins to the solubles phase; and (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) until the desired degree of decaffeination has been achieved.