CARBONATED BEVERAGES

Carbonated beverages in the form on naturally occurring carbonated mineral water

have been known to exist since long. Presence of carbon dioxide in aerated water
and carbonated drinks enhance both palatability as well as appearance of these
products. The origin of carbonated water is traced back to the work of Joseph Priestly
who produced first man-made carbonated water in 1767. Carbonated drinks are
invariably consumed without dilution and include crushes, lemonades, cola drinks
and mixed drinks. Carbonated beverages are quite popular across the globe with an
impressive dominance in world beverage market.

Ingredients Used in Preparation of Carbonated Beverage

1. Water

It is the main ingredient of carbonated beverage that comprises more than 90% of
the total volume. The water which is used in preparation of carbonated beverages
must of very high potable standards. Therefore, water pre-treatment is necessary to
ensure the high standards of finished beverage such as removal of microscopic and
colloidal particles by coagulation, filtration, softening and pH adjustment in the
areas where water is of poor quality. Disinfection and chlorination remain the
preferred method for the destruction of microorganisms. High level of nitrates in the
water could be considered as possible risk for infants. It may also cause corrosion of
tin plate and perforations of lacquer lining of cans. De-aeration of water is also
required to facilitate subsequent carbonation and filling operations to minimize
foaming problems.

Water used in carbonated beverage must possess following properties:

• Low alkalinity to check neutralization of acids otherwise it would affect

flavors and may decrease preservation effect of acids.
 • Low iron and manganese.
• to prevent reaction with flavoring and coloring compounds.
• No residual chlorine- as it affects flavor adversely and cause oxidation.
• Very low turbidity and color.
• to impart attractive appearance to the drink.
• Organic matters and inorganic solids must be very low as it provides nuclei
for CO2 resulting in beverage boiling and gushing at the time of filling or
opening of bottles.

Water used in carbonated beverage manufacture must meet the following standards:

The water used for carbonated beverage production is often subjected to treatment
to remove various impurities and make it suitable for production of soft drinks. The
water treatment includes filtration, water softening, coagulation, chlorination,
membrane filtration and ozonization. However, the sequence of pre-treatments
depends on the quality of RAW water.

2. Sweetener

Sweetener serves three basic functions in carbonated beverages; impart sweetness,

provide body and calorie. Sweetener used primarily in carbonated beverages is
crystal sugar which must be of very high purity. It is used in the form of sugar syrup
and final concentration of sugar varies between 8 to 14 percent in finished beverage.
However, other sweeteners like glucose syrups, invert syrup, High fructose corn
syrup (HFCS) etc. may also be used. Low calorie carbonated drinks invariably
contain high intensity sweeteners or artificial sweeteners such as saccharin,
aspartame, acesulfame-k and/or sucralose.

3. Carbon dioxide

Carbonated beverages contain carbon dioxide which sparkle the beverage and impart
fizziness. CO2 gas is inert, non-toxic, almost tasteless, easy to produce and
impregnate in the liquid as compared to other gases. It is also available at relatively
lower cost in liquefied form. It is soluble in liquids where its solubility increases
when the temperature of liquid is decreased and it can exist as gas, liquid or solid.
CO2 produces carbonic acid when dissolved in water which in combination with
other ingredients produces acidic and characteristic biting taste of carbonated water
and beverages.

CO2 may be obtained from carbonates, limestone, burning of organic compounds

and industrial fermentation processes. CO2 obtained by any process is purified to
ensure that it is free from impurities and fit for human consumption. Purification of
CO2 is done by scrubbing with water to remove sulphurous compounds and passing
through activated charcoal or carbon tower to remove odorous compounds. Many
beverage manufacturers produce their own CO2 on site by using packaged system.

4.Acids

Application of acids enhances the flavor and it also contributes towards the
preservation of the beverage. Wide varieties of acids are available for carbonated
beverage manufacture, but citric, malic; fumaric, tartaric and phosphoric acid are
most commonly used. Phosphoric acid is mainly used in cola type of beverages.
5. Flavoring and coloring ingredients

The flavoring component of the sugar syrup has the major influence on the flavor of
the final product, used at very minor amounts i.e. 0.01 to 0.02 %. The nature of
flavoring usually is determined by the type of the product. Fruit flavors are most
commonly used, except in colas, which are flavored by extract of cola root together
with about 10 % caffeine and a mixture of essences. Fruit flavor may be added in
the form of juice, as comminuted (in the case of citrus fruit) or as an essence. Juice
is normally used as a concentrate, citrus fruits; especially oranges are most widely
applied. Citrus juice is debittered to avoid flavor defects. Essences may be prepared
from artificial or natural sources. Artificial flavoring is not preferred because of
doubtful safety. Natural citrus essences are composed largely of essential oils from
the peel of the fruit. Hydrocarbons mostly limonene, constitute more than 90% of
the oil, but contribute little or nothing, to flavor, acting primarily as a carrier.

Important coloring agents for carbonated beverages synthetic colors particularly

certified coal tar colors. Caramel obtained from heated or burnt sugar is non-
synthetic color and are widely used in cola beverages. Permitted food dyes are
generally preferred over natural fruit colors because of their greater coloring power
and stability. Even when natural fruit extracts or juices are used their colors are
generally supplemental with synthetic colors.

6. Emulsifiers, stabilizers and clouding agents

Emulsions may be used to impart cloudiness in the form of neutral emulsions and/or
as flavoring agent as flavored emulsions. The oil phase typically consists of a citrus
essential oil containing an oil-soluble clouding agent, while the aqueous phase
consists of a solution of gum arabic, or a suitable hydrocolloid of similar properties.
An oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion is formed using a two- stage homogenizer to yield
droplets 1-2 µm in diameter for optimal stability and cloudiness. The clouding agent
must contribute to opacity without affecting stability by producing creaming, ringing
or separation and must also have no effect on color, taste or odor. Brominated
vegetable oil (BVO) was used as clouding agent for many years, however it is now
been banned because of potential toxicity. Many alternatives have been attempted
including sucrose esters, such as sucrose diacetate hexa-isobutyrate, rosin esters,
protein clouds, benzoate esters of glycerol and propylene glycol, waxes and gum
exudates. However, none of them have proved satisfactory. A soy protein-based
clouding agent has been found effective.

Stabilizers are used both to stabilize emulsions and also maintain the fruit
components in dispersion. Besides they also improve mouthfeel and viscosity of the
beverages. Most commonly used ones include guar gum, gum arabic, pectin, CMC
and alginates.

7. Foaming agents

Presence of foam in headspace is considered desirable in certain carbonated soft

drinks, such as ginger beer and colas. The most effective foaming agents are
saponins. The permitted level is up 200 ppm (in European Union) and 95 ppm in
USA.
3. Manufacturing Process of Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages are prepared following the steps as outlined in Figure.1.

Fig.1 Process flow diagram for the manufacture of carbonated beverages

1. Syrup preparation

Syrup is usually prepared by mixing 1 part (volume) syrup to 3-6 parts (volume)
water in stainless steel tanks fitted with top driven agitators. In sugar-based product
the syrup typically consists of sugar syrup of 67° Brix strength, citric acid, flavoring,
colorings, preservatives and water. Sugar syrup is passed through a plate heat
exchanger to decrease the microbial load. Syrup is pre-prepared, tested and diverted
to proportioner for mixing with water and carbonation. Flow meters are most
frequently used for proportioning. The syrup is dosed through a mass flow meter and
the water dosing is done volumetrically by using a magnetic induction flow meter.
2. Carbonation and filling

Carbonation may be considered as the impregnation of a liquid with CO2 gas. Earlier
some the pre-syruping method was employed in which carbonated water and sugar
syrup were metered separately into the bottle or other container. This method has
been replaced in modern plants by pre-mix filling in which sugar syrup; water and
CO2 gas are combined in the correct ratio before transfer to the filler. The final
beverage thus prepared before filling and regulation of carbonation and of the
relative proportions of syrup and the water is of critical importance. The fundamental
role of the carbonator is to obtain close contact between CO2 gas and the liquid being
carbonated. Factors determining the degree of carbonation are:

• Operating pressure in the system and temperature of the liquid.

• Contact time between the liquid and CO2.
• Area of the interface between the liquid and CO2.
• The affinity of the liquid for CO2 (affinity decrease as the sugar content
increases);
• Presence of other gases.

Presence of air in syrup or water affects the carbonation process. Presence of air in
beverage may also lead to mold growth and other oxidative reactions. Generally, 1
volume of air exclude 50 volumes of CO2.

Carbonation may be done in three different ways as follows:

I. Pre-syruping or syruping-filling process or post mix process: Containers are

filled with flavored syrup and now carbonated water is added in it to prepare
carbonated drink.
II. Finished Product filling or Pre-mix: Flavored syrup is added to water in correct
proportion and then homogenous mix is carbonated to produce beverage.

III. Carbonation of water is done in the first stage, then flavored syrup is metered
and added into it to prepare carbonated beverage.

Degree of carbonation is judged by the amount of effervescence produced and it is

most important characteristic of carbonated beverages. The optimum level of
carbonation varies with the type of beverage. Higher level of carbonation in orange
type of carbonated beverages and too low in cola or ginger ale is not liked by
consumers. The level of carbonation varies between 1 to 4.5 volumes of CO 2 per
litre of beverage; 1 volume for fruit based carbonated drinks, 2-3 volumes for colas
and around 4.5 volumes for mixer drinks like tonic water, ginger ale. Use of
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles also requires slightly higher level of
carbonation as some loss of CO2 is bound to occur during storage. Carbonated soft
drinks are filled into either bottles or cans. Thick-walled, reusable, glass bottles were
used for many years, but are being replaced by thin-walled, non-reusable glass and
increasingly, PET bottles.