INTRODUCTION

Coffee is one of the most consumed brewed drink by many people. Most of us drink
coffee due to its caffeine content which stimulates the central nervous system that reduces
fatigue and keeps us energized. Moreover, it has many health benefits that includes: burning fats,
fighting depression, and promoting healthy nutrients and antioxidants in the body (Gunnars,
2018).
In this report we will shed light on one of the processes that involves making one of the
most consumed beverages. The goal of this case study is to introduce first year engineering
students to Process Engineering. Also, it will give an insight about the fundamental knowledge
that Process/ Chemical Engineer apply to turn raw material (cherries) to a final product (coffee).
Some of the fundamentals that were applied in this case study are: data analysis (pH, TDS, BRIX
vs. coffee grind size) and process design/modeling (process flow diagram). Furthermore, the case
study help us understand the processes involved, the unit operations used, and the parameters
required to obtain high quality coffee.
The processes involved in coffee making starts with planting fruit seeds, harvesting,
removing coffee beans shells after processing using drying or wet method and milling, roasting,
grinding, and leeching.
Engineering One students were required to characterize the effect of changing the
extraction and grinding parameters of the coffee beans, which were produced using the processes
mentioned above. The tests performed to determine these effects involved analytical testing (pH,
BRIX, TDS, and caramelization extent), sieve analysis, aroma description.

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 INTRODUCTION

Background

There are many steps involved in making coffee that is ready to be served in a cup to a
customer or sold in packages in grocery stores. The first step involves planting coffee seeds in
wet seasons, and it must be planted in shaded beds and watered frequently. The second step is
harvesting the cherries after ripening in 3 to 4 years. There are two methods to harvest the fruits:
strip picked that involves collecting the cherries at one time either by hand or machine, and
selectively picked that involves collecting only ripe cherries by hands.
Once the cherries are picked, the process of coffee making begins as shown in Figure 1.
The first process involves processing the cherries either by drying method or wet method. The
drying method involves spreading out the cherries on a large surface where they are left to dry
out in the sun during the day and covered during the night to prevent any spoilage; the process
will continue until the moisture contents in the cherries drop to %11. The wet method involves
fermenting the beans for a day or two in a water-filled fermentation tank after separating the
beans’ skin and pulp using pulping machine, passing through serious of water drum to separate
the beans by size. Afterward, the beans spread out in a similar way to drying method in order to
reduce the water contents to %11; the dried beans are known as parchment coffee. The
parchment coffee that is not stored after drying are further processed in hulling machine to
remove the parchment or dried husk.

Figure 1: Coffee Block Flow Diagram (BFD)

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 INTRODUCTION

Next, the beans are graded and sorted based on their size by being passed through
multiple screens with different hole diameter in a scale of 1/64 of an inch to separate them by
sizes. The beans that have been over fermented or does not have an acceptable size or color will
be removed either by hand or machines (National Coffee Association of U.S.A, Inc., n.d.).
The second process involves roasting the green coffee beans. This process involves
maillard reaction, caramelization, first crack, pyrolysis, and second crack. Each one of these
processes represent different reaction occurring inside the coffee bean at certain temperatures.
The maillard reaction occur at temperature range from 150-2000C, in which the carbonyl groups
react with and amino groups inside the bean to form aroma and flavor compounds such as, 2-
furfurylthiol. Once temperature reaches 1700C, coffee beans starts caramelizing. During
caramelization, most of the sucrose is degraded to caramelized compounds (sugar browning) At
2050C, the bean expands in size and crack (first cracking) due to water loss. The bean loses 5%
of its weight, and its color changes from yellow to light brown due to change .in its chemical
structure. Afterward, the beans go through pyrolysis at temperature ~2200C, in which the bean
goes through internal chemical changes leading the bean to lose 13% of its weight and change in
color to medium brown. Finally, the cellulose inside the bean cells degrades causing second
cracking at temperature range from 225-2300C. The bean goes through many changes at this
stage which include having oily sheen, changing of color to medium dark, and having strong
aroma due to the release of aromatic compounds (American Chemical Society , n.d.).The roasted
beans are then packaged to be sold to the consumer.
During the lab, the coffee beans were grinded using a grinder. The coffee beans were
grinded at 10 coarse and 30 coarse. Next, the ground coffee was sieved using a four mesh sieve
to determine the particle size distribution for coffee 10 coarse and 30 coarse. Afterward, French
press and filter paper methods were used to extract coffee using ~900C water as solvent. Figure
1 is a coffee process flow diagram that summarize the processes used to transform cherries to
coffee beverage.

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 LAB EXPERIMENT

The quality of coffee beverage depends on the grind size, the extraction method used and
the extraction time. In the lab, we tested Zavida Hazelnut Vanilla Coffee Beans. At the beginning
of the lab, 25g of Zavida whole bean were weighed. The beans were crushed by grinder that was
set to 10 coarse. The same steps were repeated by weighing 25g of coffee beans and grind them
to 30 coarse. The extent of caramelization of each coffee grind was measured using a
photometer, which measures the light absorption over a range of wavelength to determine
caramelization (Table 1).
Table 1: Degree of Caramelization of Different Grind Size

Grind Size Caramelization Type

whole coffee 51.4 City Roast
coarse 10 47.1 Full City
coarse 30 44.8 Full City

Next, the 10 coarse and 30 coarse coffee grinds were sieved separately using a 4-mesh
hand sieve shaker. The contents at each mesh size were weighed and the result were recorded.
Using the result, the weight distribution was calculated (Table 2 and 3).
Table 2: 10 Coarse Coffee Grind Size Distribution at Various Mesh Openings

Coarse 10 Ground Samples

Mesh
Sieve Designation Mesh Opening (inch) Weight(g) Distribution(%)
Size(µm)
72 0.072 1828.8 0.9 3.557312253
46 0.046 1168.4 21.7 85.77075099
30 0.03 762 2.3 9.090909091
26 0.026 660.4 0.1 0.395256917
Remaining 0 0.3 1.185770751
Total 25.3

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 LAB EXPERIMENT

Table 3: 30 Coarse Coffee Grind Size Distribution at Various Mesh Openings

Coarse 30 Ground Samples

Sieve
Mesh Opening (inch) Mesh Size(µm) Weight(g) Distribution(%)
Designation
72 0.072 1828.8 14.5 57.31225296
46 0.046 1168.4 6.5 25.6916996
30 0.03 762 2.6 10.27667984
26 0.026 660.4 1.4 5.533596838
Remaining 0 0.2 0.790513834
Total 25.2

The mesh opening equivalent to the sieve designation were obtained from ENVCO Global
website, and then were converted to micrometer (ENVCO Global, n.d.) . The weight distribution
was calculated using the following equation:
𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝑔) 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝑆𝑖𝑧𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝑔)

Afterward, two spoons of 10 coarse coffee grind and 30 coarse coffee grind each were
placed in the top of coffee filter and cup, then brewed using hot water at 90 0C for approximately
2 minutes. The same step was repeated but using a french press instead to brew coffee. The
coffee was left steeping for approximately 5 minutes. The pH, BRIX, TDS, and aroma of each
sample were tested and recorded (Table 4). BRIX test was done by putting small amount of
coffee solution onto the device sensor to determine the solution’s sugar content. TDS test was
done on the coffee solution using a TDS meter to determine the amount of dissolved coffee in
the water. The pH of the solution was tested to determine its level of acidity using pH digital
reader.
Table 4: Coffee Extraction Test

Coarse Extraction Method Drain/Soak Time Coffee pH Coffee BRIX Coffee TDS Aroma
10 Filter 2 5 0.93 0.73 Very strong
10 French Press 5 5.2 0.3 0.23 Strong
30 Filter 2 5.1 0.51 0.4 Medium
30 French Press 5 5.2 0.53 0.42 Weak

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 DISCUSSION

Caramelization Extent

In Table 1, its observed that that extent of caramelization varies with size of the coffee
bean. It is noticed that 10 coarse ground coffee has higher caramelization than 30 due to having
larger surface area which in return leads to an increase heat transfer in these particle which
eventually causes higher caramelization rate.

Mesh Opening and Weight Distribution

In Table 2, it is observed that approximately 85% of 10 coarse coffee grind are

concentrated in 46 sieve opening. Figure 2 is a description of the coffee grind particle
distribution at each of the sieves opening.

Coarse 10 Ground Sample

100
90
Weight Distribution(%)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Mesh Size (µm)

Figure 2: 10 Coarse Coffee Weight Distribution in Various Sieve Mesh Opening

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 DISCUSSION

In Table 3, it is observed that approximately 57% of 30 coarse coffee grind are

concentrated in 72 sieve opening (1828 µm). Figure 3 is a description of the 30 coarse coffee
grind particle distribution at each of the sieves opening.

Coarse 30 Ground Sample

70

60
Weight Distribution(%)

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Mesh Size (µm)

Figure 3: 30 Coarse Coffee Weight Distribution in Various Sieve Mesh Opening

Since 10 coarse coffee grinds is smaller than 30 coarse coffee grinds, most of the 10 coarse
coffee grind were able to pass through 72 sieve opening to 46 sieve opening. On the hand, most
of 30 coarse coffee grinds remained in the 72 sieve opening.

Coffee Extraction

Figure 4 represents a comparison between TDS and grind size as well as BRIX and grind
size at different extraction method. It is observed that 10 coarse grind has the highest TDS and
BRIX value when filtration is used as an extraction method; however, 10 coarse grind has the
lowest TDS and BRIX value compared to 30 coarse when it was French pressed. Since 10 coarse
coffee is considered fine coffee, it can be easily extracting by pour hot water over the coffee
filter due to its small surface area which leads to an increase in coffee extraction. Based on the
TDS and BRIX value, the 10 coarse filtered coffee is highly concentrated and sugar content is
considerably higher than the other samples.

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 DISCUSSION

On the other hand, French press was not the best choice to extract coffee since the coffee grind
was too fine giving us a hard time to press since the fine grind will go through the mesh hole of
the plunger instead of giving a resistance. Hence, it will be difficult to get contact between coffee
particles and water. The pH for 10 coarse grind that was extracted using French press is slightly
higher than when it was extracted using paper filter due to higher extraction time when French
press was used.
It was observed from Figure 4 that 30 coarse grind extracted using French press has
slightly higher TDS and BRIX value than when it was extracted by filtration. Since 30 coarse
grind is considerably rougher than 10 coarse grind, it provided more resistance against the
plunger when pressed using French press method. However, it was hard to extract the 30 coarse
grind using paper filter because of having small surface area making it difficult for water to
extract it compared to 10 coarse which has a larger surface area. The pH for 30 coarse grind that
was extracted using French press is slightly higher than when it was extracted using paper filter
due to higher extraction time when French press was used.

Figure 4: TDS and BRIX Test Result Based on Grind Size and Extraction Method

Bar chart was used to represent and compare the data collected in the LAB (Figure 4). Since data
was based on one test trial, we did not have enough data to correlate using scatter plot.

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 DISCUSSION

Aroma Test

The filtered10 coarse coffee smelled the strongest since it had the highest contact with
water due to its large surface area. When aroma test was done on the French pressed 10 coarse
coffee, the smell was strong even though the TDS and BRIX values do not reflect the smell.
The filtered 30 coarse coffee smelled the weakest since it did not have enough contact with
water due to its small surface area. Since this type of grind is considerably coarse, it requires
more extraction type to get strong aroma. On the other hand, on the French pressed 10 coarse
coffee aroma was strong but not as strong as the 10 coarse coffee since the total dissolved solid
(TDS) was approximately 0.4. The coffee concentration in solution was not large enough to give
strong aroma.
Coffee Process Flow Diagram (PFD)

Based on the process description, a process flow diagram was created to summarize the
change in process parameters and unit operations used and in making coffee (Figure 5).

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 DISCUSSION

Figure 5: Coffee Process Flow Diagram

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 CONCLUSION

Green beans are converted to consumer Coffee beans after going through different
internal reactions that occurred at various temperature. The processes that the bean goes through
are: maillard reaction, caramelization, first cracking, pyrolysis and second cracking. The
chemical structure and degree of caramelization changes after each process to produce certain
degree of roasted coffee (light roast, medium roast, dark roast).
In the LAB, we were able to test coffee solution based on different variable such as, grind
size, extraction method and soaking time. To determine the best extraction method for the coarse
given, parameters (pH, TDS, BRIX) were measured. TDS values are affected by the surface area
of the grind as well as water-grind contact. BRIX values are affected by degree of caramelization
and concentration of coffee in the water. pH values are impacted by residence time which cause
the coffee to taste more sour and bitter as it soaks for a longer time in water.
type of extraction, residence time and water flowrate and temperature need to be
determined based on the coffee grind size used in order to make the perfect cup of coffee. Fine
coffee can be extracted using paper filter and hot water with residence time of approximately 2
mins. On the other hand, French press extraction method can be used for more coarse coffee
grind with higher residence time to dissolve most of the coffee in water. There many extraction
methods that can be used depending on the grind size including: cold brew, chemex,
aeropress…etc.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

American Chemical Society . (n.d.). Retrieved from Why Does Your Coffee Taste and Smell
Delicious:
https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/pressroom/reactions/infographics/why-does-
your-coffee-taste-and-smell-delicious.pdf
ENVCO Global. (n.d.). Retrieved from SandShaker Mechanical Sieve Kit:
https://envcoglobal.com/catalog/soil/soil-classification/soil-size/sandshaker-mechanical-
sieve-kit
Gunnars, K. (2018, September 20). 13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science. Retrieved
from healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-13-evidence-based-health-
benefits-of-coffee
National Coffee Association of U.S.A, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved from 10 Steps from Seed to Cup:
http://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/10-Steps-from-Seed-to-Cup

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