Patent ID: 8658231

Claim:
A method for preparing Robusta or Arabica quality coffee beans having improved coffee flavor, said method comprising: (1) extracting dry or pre-moistened Robusta or Arabica quality green coffee beans with an aqueous solution at about 60° C. to about 100° C. for about 2 to about 4 hours to obtain (i) an aqueous extract containing water-soluble flavor precursors at about 4 to about 40 weight percent soluble solids, and (ii) extracted wet coffee beans having contacted surface water; (2) separating the aqueous extract and the extracted wet coffee beans having contacted surface water; (3) treating the separated aqueous extract to modify the water-soluble flavor precursors to obtain modified water-soluble flavor precursors, wherein the modified water-soluble flavor precursors are contained in the treated separated aqueous extract or are soluble solids obtained from the treated separated aqueous extract, wherein the treating is selected from one of heating the separated aqueous extract to hydrolyze water-soluble flavor precursors to organic acids, reducing levels of coumaryltryptophan and caffeoyltryptophan in the separated aqueous extract by contacting the separated aqueous extract with a hydrophobic or cation exchange resin, and treating the separated aqueous extract with a microorganism to reduce levels of caffeoylquinic acid and feruloylquinic acid in the separated extract; (4) combining the modified water-soluble flavor precursors with the separated extracted wet coffee beans having contacted surface water before drying to provide flavor-enhanced coffee beans; and (5) drying the flavor-enhanced coffee beans to obtain the Robusta or Arabica quality coffee beans having improved coffee flavor, wherein the aqueous solution used in step (1) is treated extract having modified water soluble flavor precursors which are used to extract water soluble flavor precursors from the green coffee beans.