Processing Lines and Equipment

for Instant Coffee Powder

Our coffee policy and offerings

Everyone appreciates the convenience of
using a spoonful of instant coffee to make
an enjoyable cup of coffee. Behind the
convenience, however, lies the challenge to
the beverage industry of processing the coffee
bean types (Arabica, Robusta) to deliver aroma
and flavour in the cup that appeals to the
consumer.
This means that we can leverage our
international contract management and
engineering experience going back over 60
years to offer our customers fully engineered
instant coffee processing solutions that employ
the latest technology to ensure the right end-
product specifications and consumer appeal at
the lowest possible total cost.

At Anhydro we know all about the important
role each instant coffee processing stage
plays in creating the final product properties
that ensure coffee drinking pleasure. Our
coffee policy is about basing our instant
coffee processing lines on our own specialized
liquid concentration and powder processing
technologies while, collaborating closely
with independent company members of
the Anhydro Coffee Processing Technology
Alliance (ACPTA) who specialize in other
essential aspects of instant coffee processing.
Our offerings include the design, engineering
and supply of processing lines with capacities of
150, 250 or 500 kg/h of instant coffee powder
(see the table below for further details).
In addition, we undertake modernization,
capacity upgrading and retrofitting of existing
processing lines as well as the supply of
individual equipment items. This includes
auxiliary equipment (for steam raising/water
treatment, stand-by power generation, tote bin
powder storage, product laboratory analysis
etc.).

Capacity and Yield Data

Instant coffee powder capacity (kg/h) 150 250 500
at 3% H2O

Annual production (t/h), based on 7,920 1250 2000 4000

annual production hours

Corresponding green coffee at 12% residual 345 - 360 550 - 575 1100 - 1150
moisture requirement* (kg/h)

Corresponding roasted and ground coffee at 290 - 300 460 - 480 920 - 965
6% residual moisture requirement (kg/h)

Extraction yield based on roasted and ground 53 - 55 53 - 55 53 - 55

coffee, based on Robusta (%)
*Assuming 16% roasting loss
Coffee powder overview

The drying stage in the processing line is selected according to the desired end-
product properties and morphology of the instant coffee powder. The three main
types of powder are as follows:

Non-agglomerated Instant Coffee Powder

This type of powder consists of individual spherical bead-like particles

giving the powder its free-flowability and good solubility in hot water.
It is most economically produced in spray dryers with tower drying
chambers. Powder bulk density is adjusted through inert gas injection
into the concentrated coffee extract prior to high pressure atomization.

Agglomerated Instant Coffee Powder

This type of powder consists of either medium-sized or large agglome-

rates with a minimum of small particles (fines) present, giving the powder
superior free-flowability and solubility in hot and cold water. Medium-
sized agglomerates are most economically produced in spray bed dryers
incorporating fluid bed agglomeration within the drying chamber. Large
agglomerates are best produced in a dedicated powder agglomerator
where spray dried instant coffee is rewetted and dried under strictly con-
trolled conditions.

Granulated Instant Coffee Powder

This type of powder consists of large granules and the absence of fine
particles gives the powder excellent free-flowability and solubility in hot
water. It is most economically produced in freeze dryers where the low
temperature drying environment maximizes aroma retention. The size
of the granules is determined by the degree of size reduction and size
classification applied to the frozen extract.
Process stages involved in the production
of spray and freeze dried coffee powders
Equipment requirements Applying Anhydro extract preparation techno-
logy enables customers to benefit from:
Processing lines to produce coffee powders
comprise various stages involving different High Yield Performance
technologies within solids, liquid and powder (53 - 55 % of R&G Coffee, depending on
handling. Equipment requirements in these the coffee bean type, quality and blend)
stages are as follows:
Flexible design permitting dual-dual and
Coffee Bean Handling dual-split continuous operation
Coffee Bean Cleaning Equipment
and Storage Silos* Intermediate cooling of the aroma-rich
Coffee Bean Roasters* fraction during extraction to promote
Coffee Bean Grinders* aroma retention

Coffee Extraction Linear percolator extractor arrangement

Liquid-Solids Extractors
(Percolator Battery Columns
incorporating the high-yield dual-
dual extraction mode for achieving
premium coffee extract quality)*
Ease of capacity increase by installing
additional percolators in-line
Integrated aroma recovery system

Coffee Extract Handling Integrated system for removal of

Extract Cleaning / Clarification undesired off-flavours
(Filters / Decanter-Centrifuges)*
Aroma Recovery Thermal extract concentration under
(Flash Separation, gentle conditions to promote aroma
Distillation / Stripping Columns)** retention
Off-flavour Removal*
Extract Concentrators Reuse of the condensate from extract
(Falling Film / Plate concentration for CIP cleaning and
Evaporators, Paraflash)** percolator cooling, promoting highly
Concentrate-Recovered Aroma efficient water usage
In-line Mixing (Non-Foaming)**
PLC / PC Process Control

* Equipment designed and supplied by members of the

Anhydro Coffee Processing Technology Alliance (ACPTA).
** Equipment designed and supplied by Anhydro.
 Spent Grounds Handling Anhydro drying technology enables customers
Mechanical De-watering Screw Press** to benefit from precise control of important
soluble powder properties:
Coffee Extract Drying
Freeze Dryers* Colour (brightness) of the final soluble
Spray Dryers** coffee powder
Spray Bed Dryers**
Coffee Powder Agglomerators* Particle size distribution and powder
structure / morphology
Powder Packing
Packing lines for tins, jars, Bulk density
bags or sachets*
Residual moisture content
Integrated Plant
PLC Control System Aroma retention

Project Management
Flowability
by Anhydro
Solubility

Mechanical stability

The latest technology includes Anhydro’s spray

dryer air disperser and drying chamber designs
that enable production of powder having the
desired particle morphology and taste through
enhanced retention of de­sirable aromatic
volatiles.

The Anhydro extract concentrate gas injection

* Equipment designed and supplied by members of the
Anhydro Coffee Processing Technology Alliance (ACPTA).
** Equipment designed and supplied by Anhydro.
and dosing unit installed on the high pressure
side of the spray dryer feed line represents the
latest design concept in the important area of
powder bulk density control and coffee powder
brightness.
The process – from coffee bean to powder

The coffee bean type and the bean blend composition, together with the processing
con­ditions, determine the taste and aroma characteristics of the final coffee
powder.

Green coffee bean handling

and extraction

The initial handling of green coffee beans

involves the removal of foreign matter
followed by bean roasting and grinding.
Both operations are determined by the bean
blend and the desired degree of roast. The
preparation of a concentrated coffee extract
from the roast and ground coffee beans is
performed in a series of high-yield percolator
battery columns operating continuously under
the so-called dual-dual extraction mode to
obtain the highest yields. This provides a
primary extract fraction rich in aroma, and a
secondary hydrolyzed extract fraction. The
high-quality aromas in the primary extraction
are recovered by flash separation followed
by immediate condensing and storage under
chilled conditions.

Schematic diagram of a Falling Film Evaporator

with finisher for high extract concentration.
Coffee extract treatment and
spent grounds handling
Preparing the extract for drying requires a
cleaning operation to remove remaining coffee
grounds by filtration or decanter-centrifuging,
followed by extract concentration. This
concentration is obtained in a falling film
tubular evaporator under vacuum at low
temperature for gentle extract handling. A
finisher evaporator must be installed after
the main evaporator in order to obtain coffee
extracts with a solids content of 55-60% DM.
As the aroma is removed from the coffee extract
prior to concentration, the vapour condensate
formed during evaporation is very pure and
free of colour and odour. This condensate can
be reused as washing liquid in the Cleaning-in-
Place system of the processing plant.
The concentrated extract from the evaporator
is mixed in-line with the liquid aroma fraction
to form an aroma-rich feed for the subsequent
drying stage. Extract concentration is essential
for achieving good product quality and feasibi-
lity in the drying stage.
The extraction process results in waste product
consisting of substantial amounts of wet
spent coffee grounds. These grounds can be
mechanically dewatered to reduce the moisture
content, enabling their use as a bio-fuel in the
plant steam generation boilers, and resulting in
a considerable reduction in fuel costs.
Coffee extract drying
The method of drying depends upon the
required powder properties. Spray drying is the
most widely used, producing either agglome-
rated or non-agglomerated coffee powders.
The spray dryer design and operating conditions
determine the type of powder that can be
produced. Freeze drying produces a larger
particulate in granular form. Granules are
generally associated with the premium quality
of powder, but spray drying can also produce
top quality powders in terms of flavour, aroma
and colour when produced from the best
quality green beans.
Spray drying features the spraying (atomization)
of concentrated extract into hot drying air. The
spray droplets dry to form a non-agglomerated,
free-flowing powder consisting of large
individual spherical bead-shaped particles. An
agglomerated powder with low fines content
can be produced by combining spray drying
with powder fluidization in an integrated fluid
bed built into the spray drying cone base (the
spray bed drying concept).
Powders consisting of very large agglomerates
are produced in a separate agglomeration
process in which spray dried powder is rewetted
by steam, agglomerated, and dried using
fluidization and cascading powder principles.
Freeze drying includes pre-freezing, foaming
and freezing of the concentrated extract
followed by granulation - sieving of the frozen
granules, which are dried in trays (batch
processing) or on a moving conveyer belt
(continuous processing).
On freezing, the water in the concentrated
extract forms ice crystals, which sublime under
the influence of vacuum and applied heat to
leave a dry granular product. Sublimation is the
direct phase transition from solid state (ice) to
gas phase (vapour). The conveyer belt permits
much shorter drying times, promoting improved
aroma retention as the coffee granules are
exposed, only for a relatively short time, to the
vacuum conditions inside the freeze drying
sublimation chamber.
 Anhydro provides a full range of evaporation
and drying equipment for the global dairy,
food and beverage, industrial, healthcare,
pharmaceutical, and starch and ethanol indu-
stries. Focusing on flexibility and attentiveness
to individual customer needs, Anhydro enables
excellence at every point along the value chain
as part of our commitment to our customers´
success.

Anhydro acts as a strategic development

partner for leading manufacturers all over
the world. Through close collaboration
with our customers, Anhydro promotes the
development of innovative concepts and
optimization of existing processes, enabling
customers to introduce new products into the
market as quickly and as cost effectively as
possible.

Anhydro A/S
7 Oestmarken
DK-2860 Soeborg
Copenhagen, Denmark
Tel: +45 7027 8222
Fax: +45 7027 8223
08.08 · L-15-eng

anhydro@anhydro.com
www.anhydro.com