US Agencies exploring link between coffee and lung disease
- Thread starter sae
- Start date
- Aug 14, 2003
- 3,920
- 67
Just a heads up. 9 years ago all flavoring companies that I bought flavoring had taken out all diacetyl from their flavoring. When they called to inform me I was a bit freaked out...but it turned out none of the flavors I carried had this in them. Popcorn companies had the most issue with this chemical.
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- #3
This report isn't all about flavored coffees - it has to do with the roasting and grinding process in regular coffee.
Air sampling during specific tasks, such as roasting, grinding, opening storage bins or containers with roasted coffee beans, and pouring and adding flavorings, is important. For example, at a coffee processing facility, a 15-minute air sample collected at a small open hatch in the lid of a grinding/packaging room mezzanine hopper holding unflavored ground coffee above an active packaging line measured concentrations of 14,300 ppb diacetyl and 18,400 ppb 2,3-pentanedione; workers opened these hatches momentarily to monitor coffee levels in the hoppers (Bailey et al. 2015)
Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione are also naturally produced and released during the coffee roasting process (Daglia et al. 2007). Grinding roasted coffee beans produces greater surface area for the off-gassing of these and other chemicals (Akiyama et al. 2003).
Air sampling during specific tasks, such as roasting, grinding, opening storage bins or containers with roasted coffee beans, and pouring and adding flavorings, is important. For example, at a coffee processing facility, a 15-minute air sample collected at a small open hatch in the lid of a grinding/packaging room mezzanine hopper holding unflavored ground coffee above an active packaging line measured concentrations of 14,300 ppb diacetyl and 18,400 ppb 2,3-pentanedione; workers opened these hatches momentarily to monitor coffee levels in the hoppers (Bailey et al. 2015)
Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione are also naturally produced and released during the coffee roasting process (Daglia et al. 2007). Grinding roasted coffee beans produces greater surface area for the off-gassing of these and other chemicals (Akiyama et al. 2003).
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The Milwaukie Sentinel measured diacetyl within a roasting facility in Wisconsin last year and found levels above recommended guidelines. Currently there are no limits on the levels of diacetyl exposure in the US, but NIOSH has a draft standard that is likely to be implemented soon. When it does, coffee roasters in the US will be required to ensure they fall within these limits. In the meantime, it may be prudent to measure diacetyl exposure in your facility and take actions where necessary. The most common actions are likely to increase air movement in specific areas and air changes in the room or building. The vulnerable areas are around the cooling tray, around the grinder and where coffee is degassed.
