Methylene chloride (MC) – Decaffeinated Solvent

Vietnamese Coffee Exporter
Methylene chloride (MC) – Decaffeinated Solvent

Methylene chloride (MC) is a colorless, volatile liquid with a sweet odor used to decaffeinate green coffee beans as a solvent.

Methylene Chloride (MC) is used to decaffeinate coffee

With one exception, Methylene Chloride decaffeination is comparable to Ethyl Acetate (EA) treatment. Because MCs do not occur naturally in plants, decaffeinated coffee cannot be termed “naturally decaffeinated.” (naturally caffeine-free)

Methylene chloride (MC) – Decaffeinated Solvent
Methylene chloride (MC) – Decaffeinated Solvent

However, some health agencies have determined that MCs in concentrations less than ten parts per million do not pose a health risk (10 PPM or 0.001 percent). MC remains in trace amounts in MC decaffeinated coffee, below 1 PPM. MC is also quite volatile, evaporating around 40°C. Given the high temperatures of roasting (about 204°C) and brewing (roughly 93°C), the presence of MC in the final drink is exceedingly unlikely.

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