How do degassing valves work?

Every roaster wants their customers to get the most out of their coffee.

In order to bring out the best qualities of high-quality green coffee, roasters spend a lot of effort selecting the ideal roast profile.

Despite all of this work and rigorous quality control, if the coffee is packaged improperly, a bad customer experience is very likely. Roast coffee will quickly deteriorate if it is not packaged to maintain its freshness and quality.

The buyer may so lose the opportunity to taste the same flavors that the roast did when cupping.

Fitting degassing valves to coffee bags is one of the best techniques for roasters to stop the deterioration of roast coffee.

One of the most popular and efficient ways to preserve the sensory qualities and integrity of the coffee is by using degassing valves.

Continue reading to find out how degassing valves work and whether or not you can recycle them with coffee bags.

Why do coffee bags with degassing valves come from roasters?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulates significantly inside coffee beans during roasting.

As a result of this reaction, the coffee bean enlarges by about 40% to 60%, which has a significant visual impact.

As the coffee ages, the same CO2 that was accumulated during the roast is gradually released. Inadequate storage of roast coffee causes the CO2 to be replaced by oxygen, which degrades the flavor.

The blooming process is an intriguing illustration of the volume of gas held within coffee beans.

Pouring water over ground coffee during the blooming process causes the release of CO2, which speeds up the extraction procedure.

There should be a lot of bubbles visible when freshly roasted coffee is brewed. Because the CO2 has probably been replaced with oxygen, older beans may generate substantially less "bloom."

In order to address this issue, the one-way degassing valve was essentially patent in 1960.

Degassing valves enable the CO2 to exit the package without allowing oxygen to enter when they are inserted into coffee bags.

To make matters worse, in some circumstances, the coffee may degas too quickly, inflating the coffee bag. Degassing valves allow the trapped gas to escape, preventing the bag from popping.

Degassing valves must be fitted into coffee packaging while taking into account a number of factors.

For example, roasters must consider the roast level because darker roasts tend to degas more quickly than lighter roasts.

Because the bean has degraded more, a dark roast speeds up the degassing process. More microscopic fissures exist, allowing the CO2 to be released, and the sugars have had more time to change.

Light roasts leave more of the bean intact, which may imply that it takes longer to degas.

The quantity is another thing to think about. A roaster will be less worried about the coffee bag popping if they are packaging tiny volumes, such samples for tasting.

The volume of beans in the bag directly relates to the amount of CO2 released. It is advised that roasters that pack coffee bags weighing more than 1 kg for shipping take the effects of degassing into account.

Degassing valves: How do they operate?

The 1960s saw the invention of degassing valves by the Italian business Goglio.

They addressed a significant issue that many coffee businesses had with degassing, oxidation, and maintaining freshness.

Degassing valve designs have changed over time as they have become more durable and cost-effective.

Today's degassing valves not only perfectly fit inside coffee bags, but they also require 90% less plastic.

A paper filter, a cap, an elastic disc, a viscous layer, a polyethylene plate, and a degassing valve are the basic components.

A viscous layer of sealant liquid coats the interior, or coffee-facing part, of a rubber diaphragm enclosed in a valve, maintaining surface tension against the valve.

As coffee releases CO2, pressure increases. The fluid will move the diaphragm once the pressure crosses the surface tension, allowing the extra CO2 to escape.

The valve only opens when the pressure inside the coffee bag is greater than the pressure outside, to put it simply.

The viability of degassing valves

Roasters should think about how degassing valves, which are frequently included to coffee bags, will be disposed of with spent packaging.

Notably, bioplastics have gained popularity as an alternative to plastics made from petroleum.

Bioplastics have the same qualities as conventional plastics but have a substantially lower environmental impact since they are produced by fermenting carbohydrates from renewable sources including sugar cane, corn starch, and maize.

Degassing valves constructed of these eco-friendly materials are now easier to find and more reasonably priced.

Degassing valves made of recyclable materials can help roasters conserve fossil fuels, lessen their carbon impact, and show their support for sustainability.

Additionally, they make it possible for customers to properly and distinctly dispose of coffee packaging.

Customers can purchase a totally sustainable coffee pouch when sustainable degassing valves are combined with recyclable or compostable packaging materials, such as kraft paper with a polylactic acid (PLA) laminate.

This can increase brand loyalty among current customers who might otherwise switch their allegiance to more environmentally friendly competitors in addition to giving them an appealing option.

At CYANPAK, we provide coffee roasters the option of adding totally recyclable, BPA-free degassing valves to their coffee bags.

Our valves are adaptable, lightweight, and reasonably priced, and they may be used with any of our environmentally friendly coffee packaging choices.

Roasters can select from a variety of recyclable materials that reduce waste and support a circular economy, including kraft paper, rice paper, and multilayer LDPE packaging with an eco-friendly PLA inner.

Furthermore, we provide our roasters total creative freedom by letting them create their own coffee bags.

You can get assistance from our design staff in coming up with the appropriate coffee packaging.

Additionally, we provide custom-printed coffee bags with a short turnaround time of 40 hours and 24-hour shipping time using cutting-edge digital printing technology.

In addition, CYANPAK provides low minimum order quantities (MOQs) to micro-roasters that want to maintain flexibility while demonstrating their brand identity and environmental commitment.