Caffeine in coffee: its removal. Why and how?

The popularity of coffee as a beverage is ever increasing despite the fact that there are reports antagonized to its consumption. Of the several factors cited, the alkaloid caffeine present in coffee can cause addiction and stimulate the central nervous system. It has an effect on the cardiovascular system with a slight increase in blood pressure and heart output. It undergoes biotransformation in the human body to form methylated derivatives of uric acid. In recent times, much effort has gone into the research on the removal of caffeine in coffee, resulting in a specialty product called decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeination methods mainly employ organic solvents or water or supercritical carbon dioxide. These methods with their attendant advantages and disadvantages are reviewed in this article.