The American press has been fascinated by the new invention of an item which sucks caffeine from brewed coffee. A summary of what the American press has reported gives us the following:
Biochemist Anna Leone was on a transatlantic flight, doing homework on molecular polymers and their use in biochemical engineering, when she found that she could not get a decaf coffee. She started musing about the theory that molecular polymers can recognize certain molecules, ‘grab’ them, and pull them out of a mixed substance.
By the time she landed, she had the product idea. Now, DeCaf Co of San Francisco has come up with a wand-like instrument that literally stirs the caffeine from a drink.
It turns out to be not an entirely new idea – Klaus Mosbach, founder of the Centre for Molecular Imprinting in Sweden, did similar research for Unilever some years ago, with the intention of finding a powder which would take caffeine from drinks. It was never marketed because it couldn't remove enough caffeine to make a difference.
The Coffee Research Institute in America has said that the main difference between conventional decaffeination and the new stick is that existing decaffeination methods change the flavour of a coffee.
The first market for the sticks is expected to be in restaurants, which could offer them beside condiments. The second market is in retail.
The next development of the idea is alcohol. The concept is of a stir-stick which can guard against the date-rape drugs.
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