Soft Drink Processing
Soft drinks include all drinks which are made from water or mineral water, sugar, aromas and essences and usually containing carbon dioxide. Other emerging beverage products have quite a similar manufacturing process: flavored water, ice tea, sport and energy drinks.
The soft drink industry is willing to offer a beverage with enhanced shelf life and decreased chemical preservative. However, due to the pH, high sugar level, low preservative content and production processes, these drinks are very susceptible to yeast and mold development.
Microbial management is therefore of high importance to prevent contamination and to monitor its presence.
Production processes differ by the type of soft drink and applications. We provide you here below with a general process that you can adapt to your specific requirements.
»Learn more about soft drink processing
Device Recommendation Guide
| Drawing Reference | Process Steps | Products |
| Sugar Syrup Filtration | ||
| Clarification: remove crystals and particles | Polygard-CR 1.00 µm Polygard-CR 3.00 µm | |
| Prefiltration: protection of final filter for better economics | Clarigard 0.5 µm | |
| Final filtration/Sterilization: remove microorganisms | Vitipore 0.45 µm | |
| Water Filtration | ||
| Prefiltration: carbon and particle trap, protection of final filter for better economics | Polygard-CE | |
| Final Filtration/Sterilization: remove particles, mold, algae, and protozoa | Vitipore 0.3 µm Vitipore 0.45 µm | |
 | Carbonation: CO2 sterile filtration | Aerex 2 0.2 µm |
| Air Venting | Aervent 0.2 µm Aerex 2 0.2 µm | |
| Filling | ||
| Rinse Water Prefiltration: protection of final filter for better economics | Clarigard 0.5 µm |
| Rinse Water Final Filtration: water sterile filtration for bottle rinsing | Vitipore 0.45 µm |
| Gas Filtration | Aervent 0.2 µm Aerex 2 0.2 µm | |
| Bottle Blower: gas sterile filtration | Aervent 0.2 µm Aerex 2 0.2 µm |
| Facilities | Details | |
| Drawing Reference | Process Monitoring Steps | Products |
| Microbial Enumeration | Milliflex Quantum, EZ-Pak, Milliflex, Microfil, 55-Plus Monitor, Milliflex Rapid | |
| Rinse Water | MicropreSure | |
| Microbial Testing of Surfaces | Swabs and Samplers | |
| Air Monitoring | M Air T |
About Soft Drink Processing
Sugar Syrup Clarification
The mixture of sugar, flavorings, essences and water is called syrup. Syrup clarification will retain particles and crystals from your syrup.Water Microbial Stabilization
Water accounts for the largest proportion in your beverage and needs to be safe. The prefiltration has a double role of protecting the final filter, ensuring the long life and good economics of your filter train, as well as reducing the initial bioburden. Final filtration removes microorganisms like bacteria, mold, yeast and protozoa to achieve the required water quality.
Carbonation
Carbonation is the step of adding carbon dioxide to a drink. Non carbonated drinks will miss the carbonization step.
The CO2 you inject in your beverage must be free of particles and microorganisms.
Bottle blower and bottle washer
The air used in the bottle blower to turn the pre-forms into the final PET bottle has to be free of contaminants; its filtration ensures a bottle with low bioburden is produced. Bottle blowing is done in any process using PET bottles.
The water used to rinse these bottles has to be free of contaminants; its filtration ensures good quality of the bottle prior filling.
A safe and reliable container is essential to maintain the quality of your drink, and thus its shelf life.
Bottle filler
Gas filtration can also be used during the filling process of carbonated drinks. In order to make the filling possible the filler bowl has to be pressurised and it is essential that the gas used here is microbiologically stable.
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