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Decaf coffee emerged to meet the demand for reducing caffeine content in coffee. It's a solution for those who love coffee but often experience jitters, rapid heartbeat, insomnia... due to caffeine. So, what is Decaf coffee? Let's find out together!
What is Decaf coffee? 1
Decaf coffee is rarely mentioned in the high-quality coffee industry because few people seek something that has removed caffeine and many other wonderful original flavors. Most of them prefer to enjoy pure, intense coffee flavors like NeoCafe, Trung Nguyen coffee... However, nowadays, Decaf coffee is known for its countless amazing health benefits.
What is Decaf coffee?
Firstly, you need to understand what decaf is. Decaf is short for decaffeinated. So, decaf coffee means coffee that has been stripped of caffeine. These coffee beans have up to 97% of caffeine removed before they go through the roasting and grinding process. The nutritional content of decaf coffee is similar to regular coffee. The biggest difference between them is the caffeine content.
What is Decaf coffee? 2
Each regular cup of coffee typically contains an average of 70 to 140 mg of caffeine depending on the brewing method and coffee type. For decaf coffee, a 180ml serving contains only 0 to 7 mg of caffeine. Although decaf coffee doesn't completely eliminate caffeine, the caffeine content has been reduced to the lowest level.
Coffee, Caffeine, and Decaf coffee
There are about 60 plant species worldwide that contain caffeine. Among them, the most common come from coffee beans. Depending on whether it's Arabica or Robusta coffee, the caffeine content varies, typically ranging from 1.3%.
What is Decaf coffee? 3
Caffeine serves to help coffee plants resist harmful insects. In humans, when absorbed in the small intestine about 45 minutes after consumption, they become agents to keep us alert, fight against drowsiness, fatigue. However, some people are overly sensitive to caffeine, so when absorbed, they feel dizzy, have rapid, strong heartbeat, insomnia... Nevertheless, they still enjoy the taste of coffee. That's also the reason why the decaffeination industry came into being.
What is Decaf coffee? It's a type of coffee that has had 97% of its caffeine removed through soaking with organic solvents or Carbon Dioxide before roasting and grinding. At this point, the caffeine in coffee is nearly completely removed. Depending on the method of decaf coffee production, they are less bitter and lighter in color compared to traditional coffee.
The history of decaf coffee
What is Decaf coffee? 4
A German merchant named Ludwig Roselius and his colleagues were the first to successfully commercialize caffeine removal in 1903. He was granted a patent in 1906.
Initially, the process of caffeine removal was carried out by steaming coffee beans with various types of acids or bases. Then, Benzene was used as a solvent to remove the caffeine from the coffee beans. They were sold under the name Kaffee HAG by the company Kaffee Handels-Aktien-Gesellschaft. However, due to health concerns about the use of Benzene, this method was soon discontinued.
Today, most methods of caffeine removal in coffee beans are very modern, proceeding similarly to the above, but instead of using the solvent Benzene, they use Dichloromethane and Ethyl Acetate.
What are the health benefits of decaf coffee?
What is Decaf coffee? 5
Reducing the risk of diabetes
According to a study by the American Diabetes Association, consuming both decaf coffee and regular coffee has the potential to reduce the risk of diabetes. Because components in both types of coffee, such as chlorogenic acid and lignan, have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism.
Additionally, they help the body reduce stress, prevent factors that negatively impact health. Drinking decaf coffee is synonymous with providing additional magnesium to the body. This is directly related to reducing the risk of diabetes, improving cardiovascular, immune, and brain function.
Decaf coffee helps protect the liver
Decaf coffee helps improve cardiovascular health
Both decaf coffee and traditional coffee have beneficial effects on supporting liver function. Studies have shown that diterpenes in coffee help counteract a toxin called aflatoxin, which has very negative effects on the liver. Additionally, coffee contains cafesol, which stimulates the production of the antioxidant glutathione, enhancing liver function and supporting detoxification.
Decaf coffee is what?
Another benefit found in both traditional coffee and decaf coffee is their positive impact on endothelial function. This function plays a crucial role in cardiovascular health. Endothelium helps regulate blood vessel dilation, oxygen supply, and blood flow. If endothelial function is disrupted, your body may be at increased risk of heart disease.
However, many recent scientific studies have found that decaf coffee has a less positive impact on endothelial function compared to traditional coffee. This is particularly evident in the ability to neutralize free radicals of decaf coffee. Researchers suspect this occurs because decaf coffee undergoes the process of caffeine removal, inadvertently removing some polyphenols found in coffee beans.
Decaf coffee not only has antioxidant effects but also contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, and vitamin B3. Drinking decaffeinated coffee also helps reduce the risk of premature death, stroke, and heart disease.
Prevent aging process, nerve decline due to aging
What is Decaf coffee? 7
Traditional coffee and decaf coffee both contain compounds that positively impact age-related nerve decline. Numerous studies on human cells have shown that decaffeinated coffee can protect nerve cells in the brain. It helps prevent the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
Prevent the risk of colorectal cancer and acid reflux
When drinking traditional coffee, you may experience some common side effects, especially acid reflux or heartburn. However, drinking decaf coffee reduces these uncomfortable side effects caused by coffee. Studies have shown that decaf coffee is less likely to cause acid reflux than regular coffee. Drinking about 2 cups of decaf coffee a day reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 48%.
What are some considerations when drinking decaf coffee?
What is decaf coffee 8
Some side effects related to decaf coffee are still not thoroughly researched. Most studies focus on traditional coffee. Besides the caffeine content, there are some common side effects when drinking coffee such as affecting nutrient interaction and iron absorption in the body.
The ability to tolerate caffeine varies from person to person. For some, one cup may be too much, while others can drink up to five cups and still feel normal. Consuming excessive caffeine often leads to central nervous system inhibition. Therefore, decaf coffee is recommended to avoid the effects of caffeine. Adolescents, pregnant women, or individuals taking medication should also opt for decaf coffee instead of traditional coffee.
What is decaf coffee 9
Coffee is a fragrant, strong, and flavorful roasted and ground bean with many health benefits. Mr. Cafe hopes that these insights will help you understand what decaf coffee is. Especially, you need to pay attention to some considerations when drinking coffee. Even though the caffeine content in a cup of decaf coffee is quite low, you still need to consume it in appropriate doses to avoid negative health effects. Feel free to share our article if you find it helpful!
Posted by: Nguyen Tien
Keywords: Have you heard about what Decaf coffee is? Mr. Cafe will provide you with the information right away!
