Improving the Consumer Acceptance of Solubie Coffee by Varietal Coffee Steaming and Aroma Distillatiot

Abstract

Steam stripping of roasted coffee is applied to the production of soluble coffee in an attempt to itcrease the aromatic quality of the product. This practice, however, has two drawbacks which partially negate the benefits. Firstly, the addition of the aroma condensate to the coffee extract results in dilution which adversely affects aroma retention during drying. Secondly, the aromatics derived from Robusta coffee sometimes reduce consumer acceptance of the soluble coffee product. Two methods were investigated in this research as a route to overcoming these difficulties. Distillation of the steam aroma was examined as a means of concentrating and rebalancing the aromas. "Partial Steaming", wherein only the Arabica portion of the blend is stripped to recover aromas, was also explored. Products made by these techniques were evaluated by our expert panelists and ordinary consumers. Products containing fractionated steam aroma showed an overall improvement in quality and a reduction in sourness and harshness. The "Partial Steaming" process enabled us to enhance desirable Arabica coffee characteristics in the soluble coffee while reducing Robusta flavor noths. Consumer testing of samples prepared using these methods confirmed that both techniques resulted in an improvement in overall product preference.