METHODS AND SYSTEMS OF DECAFFEINATION Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC A23F3/36 A23F3/38 

FIELD: food industry.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to the tea industry. To produce decaffeinated tea leaves containing less than 0.5 % of caffeine and at least 40 % of tea catechins, the method is implemented as follows. One adds water having a temperature of less than 70 °C to tea leaves to obtain an aqueous mixture of tea leaves. Tea leaves are extracted from an aqueous mixture of tea leaves to obtain an aqueous extract and extracted tea leaves. Aqueous extract is brought into contact with the active carbon adsorbent (ACA). Reversible adsorption of caffeine in said extract to ACA to obtain aqueous decaffeinated tea extract (DTE). Water DTE is brought into contact with the extracted tea leaves to obtain an additional aqueous mixture of tea leaves. Additional aqueous mixture of tea leaves is dried to produce decaffined tea leaves. System for implementing the method comprises a continuous centrifuge or a centrifuge with a solid rotor, having an inlet and at least one liquid outlet and at least one outlet hole for solid materials, adsorption column functionally connected to liquid outlet, ACA, containing preferably spherical or round porous carbon particles, wherein more than 90 % of said particles have size of 0.1 to 0.66 mm, surface area of more than 1300 m²/g and an iodine number of more than 1350 mg/g, and a drying chamber. Kit for implementing the method contains ACA in one container with the possibility of adsorption of caffeine from alkaloid-containing materials and in the second container - instructions for use of the column for extraction of alkaloid-containing materials.

EFFECT: group of inventions provides a product with high concentrations of non-caffeine water-soluble components, providing a taste profile of the finished product, the method is natural, due to use of water in it.

23 cl, 2 dwg