Coffee info

Caffeine – Occurrence, extraction, processing, uses and/or risks. – David Mahabir

Caffeine is a methylanthine alkaloid found in several parts of plants (beans, nuts, seeds, and leaves). It is
a compound that is either completely removed from or incorporated into a variety of products for
consumption or use.

With reference to its local occurrence discusses the following:

• Sources and/or cultivation

Caffeine is naturally found in the fruit, leaves, and beans of coffee, cacao, and guarana plants. It is also
added to beverages and supplements. There is a risk of drinking excess amounts of caffeinated
beverages like soda and energy drinks because they are taken chilled and are easy to digest quickly in
large quantities.

Some sources of caffeine include:

 Coffee (specifically from robusta beans) (main contributor t caffeine)

 Tea

 Soda

 Chocolate (cacao)

 Guarana

 Energy drinks

 Supplements

 Waste waters

Coffee was enjoyed locally with almost none of it going outside the country until the island
changed hands. In 1797, the British seized Trinidad from the Spanish, and it became part of the
British territories. Sugar and cocoa still took precedence until the late 1830s, though.

Also, during the mid-1800s, London was introduced to coffee, and the rise of coffee houses was
unprecedented. To supply the quickly growing number of cafes in England’s capital, the British
exported coffee beans from anywhere possible.

In 1838, almost 20K pounds of coffee beans were exported from Trinidad to London. Although
the rise of coffee houses came as a surprise, the industry of it quickly righted itself. With sugar
and cocoa becoming more profitable, Trinidad’s production efforts went quickly back to the
other cash crops leaving the beans to be once again enjoyed locally.
• Identification/quantification

Caffeine was extracted from roasted coffee, purified, and then bottled as RM. The purity % of this RM
was certified by reversed-phase liquid chromatography/DAD and by UV/Vis spectrophotometry as two
independent analytical techniques. The results being obtained by these two methods were in very good
agreement, and were combined to drive the certified value and its associated uncertainty. This high-
purity caffeine CRM would be a very useful calibrant for analytical laboratories performing food and
drug analysis.

• Toxicology/pharmacology

Caffeine has rapid and complete (i.e., 99%) absorption from the small intestine after oral administration
in humans due to its weakly basic nature and pKa of 14 at 25 °C, favoring an un-ionized/lipophilic state
in the more basic environment of the small intestine where it may more easily partition into the lipid
bilayer of cells, as compared to the acidic environment of the stomach where it is more ionized and less
lipophilic. When consumed with food and perhaps some beverages, absorption may be slower
compared to ingestion of caffeine alone on an empty stomach presumably due to a delay in gastric
emptying. Although, in the case of beverage-based studies evaluating absorption rates of caffeine, some
have criticized such investigations for the failure to control for the volume of the prepared drink.
Nevertheless, the overall extent of absorption generally remains consistent.

In general, it has been noted that toxicological symptoms often begin above concentrations of 15 mg/L
(i.e., generally more mild psychological side effects such as irritability and nervousness but also
potentially palpitations, nausea, tremor, perspiration and paresthesia), while a concentration of 50 mg/L
is considered “toxic” and concentrations of 80 mg/L or greater are considered lethal While a minimum
lethal concentration of 80 mg/L is rather well-supported to date there is some evidence that there may
be susceptible individuals who experience serious toxicity and lethality even below a concentration of
80 mg/L. For example, some individuals with preexisting cardiovascular conditions appeared to have
suffered lethality at a concentration below 50 mg/L 

• Role in risk management of human fatigue

The reputed benefits of moderate caffeine consumption include improvements in physical endurance,
cognitive function, particularly alertness and vigilance, mood and perception of fatigue. In contrast,
there are concerns that excessive intakes increase the risks of dehydration, anxiety, headache and sleep
disturbances.

• Processing - Methods of caffeine extraction (removal)

The most popular methods of decaffeinating coffee today are, Swiss Water Processing, Ethyl Acetate
Processing, Methylene Chloride Processing (Direct and Indirect), and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Processing.
• Common and innovative uses and effects (incorporation)

Medical uses for caffeine

People most commonly use caffeine for mental alertness, headache, migraine, athletic performance,
memory, and obesity. It is also used for asthma, gallbladder disease, ADHD, low blood pressure,
depression, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these
other uses.

Where is the local position in the global caffeine market.

Over the last three decades, cocoa production, exports, acreage under cultivation and farmer
participation in Trinidad and Tobago have been declining steadily. Production seems to have stabilized
at 1.2-2.3 million kgs (3-5 million pounds) per annum. Currently, it is estimated that there are about
3500 farmers growing cocoa and coffee locally. Without proper intervention, cocoa production in
Trinidad and Tobago may diminish further. It is desirable to develop the local cocoa industry since there
is a ready market for all of the cocoa the country can produce because of its high quality and lack of
restrictive quotas. At every level of the industry, it is agreed that Trinidad and Tobago should not lose
the benefits of “a crop well suited for its soil and climate”. With the Global cocoa production reaching
about five million tons or five billion kgs in the 2021/2022 crop year. It is noted that globally
5,000,000,000 kgs of caffeine is made annually, Trinidad produces 1.2-1.3 million kgs annually.
Additionally based off these data values the global market produces roughly 416 times more cacao than
Trinidad does in one crop year and this just in cacao alone.