Japanese Company Preparing To Mass-Produce Hydrogen Roasted Coffee – CoffeeTalk

UCC Ueshima Coffee Co. is preparing to mass-produce coffee roasted with hydrogen from April, making it the first business in the world to process beans on a large scale with a heat source that others in the food and beverage industry are taking note of. Hydrogen as a fuel is not only eco-friendly since burning it produces no carbon dioxide emissions, but it also has the potential to draw out a bean’s distinct flavors; adjusting heat levels is much easier compared to conventionally used natural gas.

UCC began its research on hydrogen roasting sometime around 2022. Although it has its own shortcomings and processing it into a useable fuel source can ironically result in CO2 output, hydrogen is still considered a much cleaner alternative. This is especially true if, like UCC, businesses stick to creating “green hydrogen.” In this carbon-free process, solar, wind or other renewable energy is used to generate the electricity needed for the process of splitting hydrogen atoms from water molecules.

Hydrogen-fueled coffee roasting will mark the first step toward the UCC Group’s stated goal of achieving net zero CO2 emissions group-wide by 2040. The advantages don’t end there. Flavors and aromas of coffee beans, such as acidity and bitterness, can vary according to how long and at what temperatures they are roasted. Using hydrogen makes it possible to adjust heat levels across a broader range. It particularly allows coffee to be roasted for a long time over a very low flame, which natural gas cannot sustain stably. Company officials said they have found that such a process increases the bitterness and fruity flavors.

UCC sold its hydrogen-roasted coffee made at its factory in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, in limited quantities last autumn. In its runup to mass production, the company is spending about 1 billion yen ($6.6 million) to add a large-scale hydrogen roaster to its factory in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, and will use green hydrogen made in Yamanashi Prefecture. The equipment has the capacity to roast 6,000 tons of coffee beans per year, worth more than 10% of the company’s annual domestic production.

Other food manufacturers are also moving to use hydrogen as a heat source in place of natural gas and other standard fuel. Suntory Holdings Ltd. became the world’s first whiskey producer last year to successfully use hydrogen as the sole heat source in the “direct-fired distillation” process. Kirin Holdings Co. plans to start using hydrogen by the end of this year at a plant next door where Suntory Natural Mineral Water is produced.

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