As soon as instant coffee came into the market, it gave the traditional coffee beans a run for their money. Instant coffee seemed to be a quick solution for the energy boost. To this day, instant coffee is governing the market of beverages impressively. Be it a café or home kitchen, instant coffee has seeped its way in our lives for quick solutions.
Despite this heavenly invention, the traditional coffee lovers can’t help to let go of those dearest roasted coffee beans. Being an unprocessed entity, coffee beans are still cheered among some good old-school folks probably because they can’t let go of those beans.
But in today’s world, where time truly seems to wait for none, instant coffee seems like a goddess that has landed straight from the heavens.
Understanding Instant Coffee
Instant coffee isn’t some synthetic powder. It’s actually obtained by drying the coffee extract. It is formulated by brewing the coffee beans in water until a concentrated solution is formed. This concentrated solution is then subjected to evaporation and the water is removed to reap dried fragments of coffee. These dry fragments are later transformed into a coarse powder form, which is hailed as instant coffee.
So in short, instant coffee is an instantaneous form of regular coffee.
There are two ways of drying the concentrated coffee solution:
1. Spray-drying
2. Freeze-drying
Spray-drying: The concentrated coffee extract is sprayed in hot air to dry it and turn the extract into a coarse powder.
Freeze-drying: The concentrated coffee extract is subjected to the freezer and the frozen extract is broken into smaller fragments which are then dried at a bit lower temperature under vacuum.
The methods described above perform a stellar job at preserving the traditional taste and aroma of the coffee. It is made sure that high-grade water is used for the extraction process so that the quality of the resultant instant coffee is not compromised.
To enjoy a steaming cup of instant coffee, a mainstream recipe is followed in which a teaspoon of instant coffee is rolled to boil in a cup of water. The potency of coffee can be increased or decreased easily by adjusting the amount of teaspoon added.
Instant coffee Is Rich In Antioxidants
Instant coffee is packed with antioxidants like polyphenols. Polyphenols primarily scavenge the oxidative species in the body and decrease the oxidative stress.
In various meta-analyses, the groups receiving coffee had the highest amount of total polyphenol as compared to those receiving the placebo. (1) (2) (3)
Some studies proclaim that instant coffee possesses more antioxidant content as compared to regular coffee. This could be because of increased surface area to volume ratio of instant coffee than regular coffee beans.
Instant Coffee Is Packed With Nutrients
The closer the material is to the actual map, the more it has relative properties to it. And instant coffee is the closest possible form of regular coffee. A typical cup of instant coffee is brimmed with various vitamins and minerals like niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, manganese, magnesium, and potassium, and just a handful of 5 calories. (4) (5)
Instant Coffee Has Relatively Less Caffeine
Coffee is one of the insanely popular stimulants, all thanks to the lively caffeine. It helps in chasing the darkness away and takes us to the break of the day. But instant coffee certainly has a relatively lesser amount of caffeine than the regular one.
A study was conducted in 2014, where the researchers compared the levels of caffeine in an instant and regular coffee. It was concluded that a standard cup of instant coffee contains 30-90mg of caffeine whereas, a regular cup of coffee comes up with caffeine that ranges somewhere between 70-140mg. (6)
This seems fruitful for people who seem to have trouble in sleeping as high caffeine may account for sleepless nights. Also, high intake of caffeine can throw us in the shackles of anxiety, irritability, arrhythmias, and gastrointestinal disorders.
To skip the horror of sleepless nights, go for instant coffee!
Regular Medicinal Benefits Of Instant Coffee
Just like regular coffee, the medicinal benefits of instant coffee are all the same, including: (7) (8) (9) (10)
· Improved brain functioning
· Protects liver
· Protects against Alzheimer’s disease
· Protect against Parkinson’s disease
· Negates the development of diabetes
· Helps with depression, anxiety, and stress
· Decreases suicidal ideation
What To Watch Out For In Instant Coffee?
No matter how much instant coffee comes in handy, but there comes a time where we have to weigh the pros and cons of it. Luckily, there isn’t any downside to this heavenly drink but just one which is imminently negligible.
Instant coffee has been reported to possess approximately double the amount of acrylamide. Now acrylamide is a harmful substance that can cause neuronal damage and cancer. But here, even the double amount of acrylamide doesn’t reach the potency where it is harmful. So, to cut it short, instant coffee is safe for use and renders nothing but some serious medicinal perks, heavenly aroma, uncompromised quality, and yes, of course, the divine taste!
Instant coffee is an easy fix for the busy days. It’s quite easy to use and comes at a lot cheaper price than the regular ones. Its perks spread smiles as it has less caffeine, more content of antioxidants (but the same type), and low calories.
So, instant coffee has got you covered to get you out of the shadows of the darkness and take you to the break of the day!
Recent Post
