The Removal of Coffee Mucilage by means of Caustic Soda.

Abstract

Several alkaline compounds are known to remove the mucilage from pulped coffee beans. During the last year the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries has conducted experiments, first on a small scale in the laboratory and later with bulk lots of pulped coffee in the field, to determine whether it is practicable to use caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) to remove mucilage chemically as an alternative to the normal process of fermentation.