| abstract |
A coffee extract powder is produced by foaming an aqueous coffee extract with an inert gas, e.g. carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide or nitrogen, freezing the foam, and freeze-drying the frozen foam preferably after grinding it to a particle size approximating that of roast and ground coffee. The resultant coffee extract powder may be agglomerated. Volatile coffee aromatics may be added to the concentrated extract before drying or may be plated on to the powdered extract. The freeze dried extract may be mixed with a conventional spray-dried coffee extract. The freeze-drying apparatus used forms the subject of divisional Specification 1,102,588 (in Division F4). |