All softdrinks have a basic compositional structure. First, there is the water that makes up about 87 to 92% of the beverage volume.
The water used is normally separately pretreated to remove impurities, microorganisms and other undesirable attributes, such as off-tastes, odors and turbidity.
It is also treated to regulate alkalinity and hardness. Make no mistake about the fact that water used in softdrinks made by more reputable bottling companies is much more purified than what comes out of the common tap in your house.
Next we have the sweetener, which is usually refined white sugar, though other natural or artificial sweeteners are being used as alternatives.
In a natural sweetened softdrinks, the sugar makes up about 8 to 12% of the beverage by mass.
Another ingredient common to almost all softdrinks is the acidulant. This is term used for any inorganic or organic acid that contributes to the sourness of the beverage.
The balance between sweetens and sourness is what gives it the basic typical taste profile of all flavored softdrinks.
Without this sweetener and acid balance, the beverage would taste totally wishy-washy and unexciting.
To this basic taste background, a flavorant, or a flavorant combination, is added.
Flavorant may be natural, nature identical, or completely synthetic. They are usually in very concentrated forms and give beverages their characteristics tastes.
Flavorant can be c0mpared to perfumes in as much as they also contribute to the smell of the product, which plays an important role in the general overall sensory perception of the drink.
To round off the taste of the softdrinks, colorants are added to the composition when such coloring is considered essential to the visual impact the drink has on the consumer.
Colorant may be natural ingredients but are more commonly synthetic food dyes. They are used in minute quantity individually or in combinations that give us the rainbow spectrum of softdrinks colors we see in the marketplace.
What is Softdrinks?
