Coffee seeds, during industrial processing, can also be used for the production of decaffeinated coffee. This process, called decaffeination, takes place when the seeds are still green and not after roasting. Many methods can be applied to remove caffeine from coffee, but all include the immersion of green seeds in hot water (a process known as Swiss water process) or steam; at this point, solvents are added that dissolve and separate the oils containing the caffeine from the seeds. Decaffeination is often applied by coffee processors who, as a source of additional income, sell caffeine to pharmaceutical companies.
