Aspects of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for processing biomaterials in the absence of atmospheric oxygen and products resulting from such processes. Such processing techniques may dramatically increase the shelf-life expectancies of roasted and milled biomaterial products when the roasted and milled biomaterial products are not exposed to oxygen during processing.

Described is a system for roasting, grinding, brewing and dispensing coffee comprising: an infuser head in fluid communication with a source of hot water and comprising bedding means for distributing coffee grounds such that they are disposed substantially evenly on an inner surface of a slidable wall of a coffee cartridge thereby forming an extraction bed within an extraction chamber; and infuser means comprising one or more outlets for the hot water, the infuser head being adapted to deliver hot water to the extraction bed within the extraction chamber, whereby coffee is extracted to yield a coffee brew.

The present invention provides a method for controlling the roasting of coffee using microwave heating, the method being characterized in that roasting is completed in a coffee roasting device by: using raw coffee bean physical property data, pre-stored in a microcomputer or PLC, and coffee roasting operation information, input through an input unit, to calculate a roasting time (roasting retention time), an external air flow (hot air) temperature, and an appropriate microwave output corresponding to the temperature to achieve the target roasting step; and continuously operating a magnetron to input microwave energy. The continuous coffee roasting device using microwave heating comprises a microwave generation device intended to be used as a main heat source for roasting raw coffee beans and a microwave output control unit capable of controlling the microwave output of the microwave generation device, a hot air system providing an external air flow around the raw beans as hot air to prevent a cooling effect from occurring due to the external air when heating the raw beans with microwaves is installed, a transfer device continuously supplying the raw coffee beans and inducing the discharge of the coffee beans following roasting is provided, a shielding device for preventing microwaves from leaking out through open portions as the inlet and outlet portions of the roasting chamber (heating chamber and resonant cavity) must be open due to the raw coffee beans continuously entering and exiting the roasting chamber is installed, and a roasting device operation unit capable of controlling the overall operation of the continuous microwave roasting device is included.

The present invention provides a method for controlling the roasting of coffee using microwave heating, the method being characterized in that roasting is completed in a coffee roasting device by: using raw coffee bean physical property data, pre-stored in a microcomputer or PLC, and coffee roasting operation information, input through an input unit, to calculate a roasting time (roasting retention time), an external air flow (hot air) temperature, and an appropriate microwave output corresponding to the temperature to achieve the target roasting step; and continuously operating a magnetron to input microwave energy. The continuous coffee roasting device using microwave heating comprises a microwave generation device intended to be used as a main heat source for roasting raw coffee beans and a microwave output control unit capable of controlling the microwave output of the microwave generation device, a hot air system providing an external air flow around the raw beans as hot air to prevent a cooling effect from occurring due to the external air when heating the raw beans with microwaves is installed, a transfer device continuously supplying the raw coffee beans and inducing the discharge of the coffee beans following roasting is provided, a shielding device for preventing microwaves from leaking out through open portions as the inlet and outlet portions of the roasting chamber (heating chamber and resonant cavity) must be open due to the raw coffee beans continuously entering and exiting the roasting chamber is installed, and a roasting device operation unit capable of controlling the overall operation of the continuous microwave roasting device is included.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for roasting green beans. The apparatus for roasting green beans according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a roasting kettle in which a roasting portion responsible for roasting green beans is formed; a heating member for heating the roasting kettle during roasting, the heating member being embedded in a heating hole formed in the roasting kettle and integrated with the roasting kettle; and a stirring device which is rotatably mounted inside the roasting kettle and stirs green beans during roasting. By providing heating to the roasting kettle during green bean roasting, the heating member embedded in the heating hole formed in the roasting kettle therefore enables more efficient roasting, resulting in a great decrease in the roasting time of green beans.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for roasting green beans. The apparatus for roasting green beans according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a roasting kettle in which a roasting portion responsible for roasting green beans is formed; a heating member for heating the roasting kettle during roasting, the heating member being embedded in a heating hole formed in the roasting kettle and integrated with the roasting kettle; and a stirring device which is rotatably mounted inside the roasting kettle and stirs green beans during roasting. By providing heating to the roasting kettle during green bean roasting, the heating member embedded in the heating hole formed in the roasting kettle therefore enables more efficient roasting, resulting in a great decrease in the roasting time of green beans.

A method of brewing coffee includes the following steps:requesting a user to select a coffee-based beverage on an input device coupled to a coffee brewing apparatus; selecting a suitable water recipe from a database comprising a plurality of water recipes suited for brewing coffee, wherein the selected water recipe is suited to the selected coffee-based beverage, wherein the water recipe defines a set mineral concentration of brewing water to be prepared; requesting a water preparation unit to prepare a brewing water based on the water recipe, wherein the water preparation unit is adapted to mineralize the brewing water according to the set mineral concentration of the water recipe; preparing brewing water based on the water recipe; and brewing the coffee-based beverage with the brewing water prepared according to the water recipe.

A method of brewing coffee includes the following steps:requesting a user to select a coffee-based beverage on an input device coupled to a coffee brewing apparatus; selecting a suitable water recipe from a database comprising a plurality of water recipes suited for brewing coffee, wherein the selected water recipe is suited to the selected coffee-based beverage, wherein the water recipe defines a set mineral concentration of brewing water to be prepared; requesting a water preparation unit to prepare a brewing water based on the water recipe, wherein the water preparation unit is adapted to mineralize the brewing water according to the set mineral concentration of the water recipe; preparing brewing water based on the water recipe; and brewing the coffee-based beverage with the brewing water prepared according to the water recipe.

The present invention relates to a method for producing roast coffee beans with improved aroma, wherein extracted roast coffee beans are treated with an aqueous liquid comprising glycosidase to hydrolyse carbohydrates in the coffee beans, and the aqueous solution is subsequently used to infuse green coffee beans before roasting.

A bean roasting system includes a roasting chamber, a blower, a variable diverter and a controller. The roasting chamber, the blower and the variable diverter each is disposed at least partially within a recirculating gas flow path. The blower is configured to provide a flow stream of gas through the recirculating gas flow path. The variable diverter is configured to split the gas flow path into at least two flow paths including a treated flow path and a bypass flow path. The treated flow path includes a series arrangement of a gas heater and a catalytic converter. The variable diverter is configured to control a percentage of a flow stream of gas that is diverted into the bypass flow path. The controller is configured to activate different predetermined operating modes for the bean roasting system by controlling a state of the variable diverter and a state of the heater.