What's in roast smoke?

[alans]

I have a vague memory (as most of my memories are) of reading somewhere that 10% of the caffine in coffee is lost as smoke in the roasting process, but right now I can't find anything to confirm or deny this and it's annoying me!

So does anyone know of any studies or have any ideas as to what is in roast smoke?

[Danny]

/me looks for his wet towel to roast with....

[moccafaux]

In the long run, the smoke will make hair and teeth fall out, the testicles shrink but you will grow tits

[Steve]

oh god that explains my hyper activity when roasting !!!

Not sure on that one but would love to find out

[alans]

I defiantly get a bit of a buzz while roasting if I'm too close to the smoke so I'm sure there's caffeine in there. My testicles are as yet unaffected though

[Steve]

Heck I used to have two of them as well Vanished a couple of years ago

[alans]

From:

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA ... 21,00.html

As roasting continues, more oil exudes from the beans, which is why dark-roasted beans look as if they've been lubricated with motor oil. Sugars are burned, making darker roasts more caramelized in flavor. Caffeine is burned up, too. As much as 15 percent of the caffeine in coffee beans goes up in smoke; the longer and darker the roast, the less caffeine.

But they don't give a source.

This one's interesting:

http://www.keopu.com/prcoffeeandhealth.html

Some caffeine evaporates into the air during roasting, which is one reason coffee roasters are careful to send roasting smoke up through chimneys –otherwise workers would have caffeine overdoses all day long. A 1977 study found detectable levels of caffeine coming from coffee-roasting plants in New York City air.

[moccafaux]

How about all the poison (DDT etc) they spray the plants with?

[alans]

I've recently found out that when importing green beans to Australia they sometimes insist on fumigation