SOFTDRINKS

What is in Pepsi-Cola?

2012-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Pepsi-Cola is one of the drinks that trace its root back to the corner drugstore. The formula of Pepsi Cola was created by Caleb D. Bradham, a pharmacist of New Bern in summer of 1893.

Bradham poured a sample of his mixture into a beaker and gave it to his assistant to taste it. Then he saw his assistant’s face light up upon tasting it, Bradham knew he had created a winner. His favorite was ‘Brad’s Drink’.

It was a unique combination of sugar, water, vanilla, caramel, lime juice, phosphoric acid, alcohol and oil (lemon, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, and petit grain).

Bradham believed that his new drink aided digestion similar to the way the pepsin enzyme does. However, Pepsi never contained pepsin. Cola represent the refreshing and invigorating qualities of the drinks.

The name ‘Brad’s Drink didn’t convey the nature of the beverage and he decided to rename it ‘Pepsi-Cola’ in 1898 after pepsin and cola nuts used in the recipe.

In 1898, Caleb Bradham bought the trade name Pep Cola for $100 from a competitor from Newark.

Pepsi didn’t contain any harmful ingredients. Some of Pepsi’s competitors used narcotics and other dangerous substance in their formulas.

Cocaine and glycerin that were originally there in Pepsi that was present in Pepsi has been removed.
What is in Pepsi-Cola?

The History of Pepsi Cola Business

2011-11-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

One of New Bern’s most trumpeted achievements was the invention of Pepsi-Cola. The summer of 1898, as usual, was hot and humid in New Bern, North Carolina. So a young pharmacist named Caleb Bradham began experimenting with combinations of spices, juices, and syrups trying to create a refreshing new drink to serve his customers.

He planned to use the drink to cure upset stomachs.

His creation, a unique mixture of kola nut extract, vanilla and rare oils. It was not originally name Pepsi. He named it after himself and called it ‘Brad ‘s Drink.’ Caleb decided to rename it "Pepsi-Cola," after its two main ingredients, pepsin and the cola nut and advertised his new soft drink. People responded, and sales of Pepsi-Cola started to grow, convincing him that he should form a company to market the new beverage.

In 1902, he launched the Pepsi-Cola Company in the back room of his pharmacy, and applied to the U.S. Patent Office for a trademark.

The business began to grow, and on June 16, 1903, "Pepsi-Cola" was officially registered with the U.S. Patent Office. That year, Caleb sold 7,968 gallons of syrup, using the theme line "Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion."

In 1904, Caleb Bradham purchased the Bishop Factory at Johnson and Hancock Streets, converting it into the first Pepsi Cola factory.

He also began awarding franchises to bottle Pepsi to independent investors, whose number grew from just two in 1905, in the cities of Charlotte and Durham, North Carolina, to 15 the following year, and 40 across the United States by 1907. By the end of 1910, there were Pepsi-Cola franchises in 24 states with 300 bottles.

The previous year, Pepsi had been one of the first companies in the United States to switch from horse-drawn delivery cart to motor vehicles, and Caleb's business expertise captured widespread attention.

Pepsi-Cola enjoyed 17 unbroken years of success. Caleb now promoted Pepsi sales with the slogan, "Drink Pepsi-Cola. It will satisfy you."

The price sugar reached 26 cents per pound in 1920. Unfortunately, Bradham gambled on the fluctuations of sugar prices during World War I, betting that sugar prices would continue to rise, but they fell instead. He purchased large blocks of sugar stock, only to watch price plummet to 2 cents per pound by the end of the year.

Pepsi-Cola declared bankrupt in 1923. The assets were sold to a North Carolina Company who, in turn sold the operation to a Wall Street broker for $35,000.

By 1931, only two plants remained open. Five a year later the company bankrupt again and it wasn't until a successful candy manufacturer, Charles G. Guth, appeared on the scene that the future of Pepsi-Cola was assured.

Guth was president of Loft Incorporated, a large chain of candy stores and soda fountains along the eastern seaboard.

After five owners and 15 unprofitable years, Pepsi-Cola was once again a thriving national brand.

The formula for Pepsi was change at this time. The new formula eliminated pepsin as a major ingredient. By 1934, Pepsi-Cola had turned the corner and began purchasing bottling operation throughout the United States.

Within two years, Pepsi would earn $1 million for its new owner. With the resurgence came new confidence, a rarity in those days because the nation was in the early stages of a severe economic decline that came to be known as the Great Depression.

Pepsi’s net earning had risen to more than $5.5 million by 1939.

Today, the company is a diversified conglomerate with a complete product line across the food and beverage categories. Pepsi is one of the most popular drinks in the world.
The History of Pepsi Cola Business

Discovery of Coca-Cola Formula

2011-10-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola formula is the company’s top secret recipe for Coca-Cola. The contents of the secret formula have been subject to much scrutiny and debate and there have been many attempts to force Coca-Cola to reveal its trade secret publicly.

During the early 1880s, Atlanta druggist John Stith Pemberton experimented with various beverages to be used for medicinal purpose.

Vin Mariani, a coca wine developed in Europe, had introduced in the United States, by the 1880s, it was of the most popular patent medicines in Europe and the United States.

Vin Mariani was made by steeping coca leaves in Bureaus wine, result in 150 to 300 mg of cocaine per liter. The creator was Angelo Mariani.

Pemberton tried to clone it. In 1884 he released Pemberton’s French Wine Coca but he discontinued making it the following year when Atlanta passed temperance legislation preventing the manufacturing or sale of alcohol in the city.

Pemberton went back to the drawing board and in 1886 he came up with a new medicine consisting of coca leaves and kola nut extract sugar and other ingredients.

The result was a syrup that he called Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola was given it’s name in 1885, and was marketed as a tonic for most common ailments, based on the two medicinal main ingredients which consisted of extracts of Coca leaves and Kola nuts.

The original formula did include coca derivatives such as cocaine, which at the time were neither illegal unusual for patent medicines.

The exact amount of cocaine that was used in the original recipe is not certain, but only after a few years the amount was dropped considerably.

Pemberton considered it a cure for headaches and for morphine addiction, and he sold it as a medicine in drugstores.

The label for Coca-Cola syrup claimed that it was an exhilarating fountain drink as well as a cure for nervous disorders, including sick headaches, neuralgia, hysteria and melancholy.

Pemberton’s health failed in 1887 and he sold his business to Willis Venable, who mixed the Coca-Cola with soda water and served it as a “brain tonic and intellectual soda fountain beverage.”

In the same year, Asa Chandler purchased an interest in Coca-Cola and ultimately acquired 100% interest for a total investment of $2,300. Candler then patented the Coca-Cola formula, which has remained a closely guarded secret.
Discovery of Coca-Cola Formula

Asa Candler of Coca-Cola

2011-10-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola survived as a brand whereas thousands others did not because of the dedication of Asa Candler.

Born in December 30, 1851, Asa Chandler spent his childhood and youth in the waning days of the Old South. During Georgia’s gold rush of the 1830s and 1840s, his parents, Samuel and Martha, settled on Carroll County about thirty miles west of Atlanta.

In 1873 Candler went to Atlanta in 1873, securing a position with George J. Howard, a druggist. Four years later with Marcellus B. Hallman, he established the drug form of Hallman and Candler.

At the same time he also old a patent medicine concocted by John Styth Pemberton, another Atlanta pharmacist, which was touted as a curreall for headache, sluggishness, indigestion, and throbbing resulting from over indulgence.

In 1886, the ailing Pemberton sold Candler a part interest in the nostrum, called Coca-Cola, and year later took full control of the company on April 1891.

The total cost of these transactions, giving chandler ownership of Coca-Cola, amounted to $2,300.

In 1892 the Coca-Cola Company, Incorporated was organized, with Candler as president and major stockholder.

Because of him, Coca-Cola become an icon of American culture, both in United States and abroad.

Asa Candler, insistence on heavy advertising and quality control in the beverage’s earliest days resulted in millions of loyal customer.
Asa Candler of Coca-Cola

Colas associated with hypertension

2011-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hypertension is one of the top five chronic health disorders suffered by American adults.

In one study a woman’s risk of developing hypertension increased steeply when caffeine was consumed in soft rinks – even with sugar free diet colas.

There are strong positive association between cola beverage intake and hypertension risk.

Fructose consumption has been on explosive rise and has paralleled the epidemics of hypertension. The yearly intake of high fructose corn syrup as an added sugar to be as high as 62.4 pounds per person.

Soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup such as colas and fruit drinks are the primary source of sugar in the American’s diet.

One the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure. High blood pressure have also have been linked to high amount of sodium in diet. Incidentally, diet drinks generally contain more sodium than regular soft drinks.

In populations with low sodium intakes, hypertension is rare. Sodium is present in many beverages including soft drinks. Americans consume about two teaspoons of salt per day, most of which is hidden in prepared foods, preservatives and flavorings.

Soft drinks also contain caffeine. Caffeine induces hypercalciuria, affects hydration and may aggravate hypertension.

Apart from hypertension caffeinated soft drinks also linked to depression, bone fracture, and neurological damage.
Colas associated with hypertension

Aspartame in Soft Drinks and Health Issues

2011-09-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

Aspartame is the key ingredient found in artificial sweeteners. It is an odorless white powder that is soluble in water and alcohol.

Aspartame is approximately 160 to 220 times sweeter than sucrose and has acceptable flavor with no bitter aftertaste.

Scientists have found that aspartame is generally safe for most people to consume. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has been intensively studied for its safety to ensure the safety of the food and drinks sold in the United States, approved aspartame in 1981 after extensive studies found that it was safe for use as a sweetener.

Since introduction in 1981, aspartame has become by far the most popular sweeter in virtually all canned and bottled diet soft drinks in the United State.

When aspartame was first developed, many people had concerns about whether it was safe. After all, it didn't have the track record of other natural ingredients that had been safely consumed for hundreds of years.

Rumors have spread for at least a decade, that aspartame is responsible for epidemic health problems.

Almost everyone has a sweet tooth, and kids are certainly no exception. Because excess sugar consumption has been linked to weight gain, tooth decay, and other health problems, many people reach for foods, drinks, and candy that contain artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, which offer lots of flavor with fewer calories.

In 1996 the Food and Drug Administration published a list of 92 adverse aspartame reactions that included seizures, blindness, obesity, testicular, mammary and brain tumors; sex dysfunction and death acquired from consumers complaints.

The most common complaints about aspartame is that it causes severe headaches among sensitive individual.

Aspartame is one of the most popular man-made sweeteners on the market. It is used in beverages, chewing gum, breakfast cereals, and desserts. It is also available in packets of tabletop sweetener, like the kind typically offered by restaurants.

Although some people have alleged that aspartame is linked to birth defects and illnesses ranging from multiple sclerosis to Parkinson's disease, government authorities and medical groups throughout the world have evaluated aspartame and approved it as safe for human consumption.

Recent reviews of studies confirm that aspartame consumption is safe over the long term and is not associated with serous health effects.
Aspartame in Soft Drinks and Health Issues

Soft drinks and health of children

2011-09-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Half of the American children, aged 6 to 11, drink approximately 15 ounces of soda per day. Among adolescent boys who drink soda, the average daily intake is approximately 28.5 ounces, and among girls, the average soda drinks consumes around 21 ounces per day.

For Children, increases in soft drink consumption can have serious health implications.

The consumption of soft drinks is associated with obesity in children. It's important because the numbers of fat children are increasing significantly each year.

When they controlled for television viewing (a well-known factor in childhood obesity), physical activity and other dietary factors, soft drinks by themselves added extra risk for obesity.

The prevalence of overweight and its attendant health problems is clearly on the rise among American children.

Currently, 22 percent of children age 2 to 5 years and 15 percent of children aged 6 or older are overweight.

These values are more than double the rates of overweight in the early 1970s.

For every additional glass of sugar-sweetened drink per day, the risk of obesity rose by 60 per cent.

Changing the children over to diet drinks reduced the chances of obesity by over a half.

With the booming epidemic in adult diabetes, tied back to childhood obesity, we need to do what we can to keep our kids' weight down without scaring them into anorexia.

Children obesity to which soft drinks are known to contribute, has been shown to lead to adult obesity, which it self is associated with many health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Most experts say the best techniques are to increase exercise, reduce television viewing and probably reduce time at computers - and now perhaps replacing sugar-loaded drinks with diet products.
Soft drinks and health of children

Short History of Fanta

2011-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Fanta is manufactured by Coca Cola for international markets. It is best known as orange soda, although it comes in grape, lemon, lime and other flavors. Until it comes in banana, orange is this monkey's flavor of choice.

Fanta was born in the austerity of post-war Germany, when the Coca-Cola company had to use sugar beet rather than cane to sweeten it, and the name is based on ‘Fantasie’.

In the period leading up to World War II, between 1930 and 1936, Coca-Cola set up a division of the company in Germany, and continued that venture during the war.

It recreated its image as a German company and allowed the Germans to produce all but two, secret, Coca-Cola ingredients in their own factories.

In 1941 the German company's president, Max Keith, developed Fanta orange soda using orange flavoring and all the German-made Coke ingredients.

Despite the increasing devastation caused by Allied bombing, for most the war the German Coke company maintained profitable annual sales figures of about sixty million bottles.

In 1960, Coca-Coca added its first new line in the United States, Fanta. Fanta products, which come in a variety of fruit flavors such as orange and grape, had been sold by Coke bottlers in other countries for many years.

Whereas Sprite was an American campaign exported around the world, Fanta has its strength in overseas market.

Fanta in the early 1970s, were attacked because they had artificial color. Competitors used this to demean the product even though the coloring was quite safe. The company replaced the artificial coloring with natural coloring, but the impact on product sales was severe for about five years before began to grow again.

As leading global soft drink brand, Fanta launched a campaign building on overseas market positions and emphasizing Fanta as a fashion statement.

In 1979, Coca-Coal entered the Soviet Union with Fanta Orange Soda.
Short History of Fanta

History of Canada Dry

2011-09-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

McLaughlin was a Toronto pharmacist and “mixer of mineral waters.” In 1906 he concocted a carbonated beverage, which he named “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale.” It was patented in 1907.

McLaughlin bubbly concoction became the mixer of choice in the Prohibition years because the soda masked the state of home made brewed hooch.

He added a crown to the trademark o symbolize “kinglike quality” in order to suggest superiority over its competitors.

The touches were dropped as the company grew.

In the early days the shield contained emblems of the Canadian provinces, plus a crouching beaver.

Although drugstores were only outlets for distributing carbonated beverages, McLaughlin pioneered techniques for mass bottling that made it possible to serve Canada Dry at baseball games and public beaches.

New York was his first US distribution beachhead in 1919. McLaughlin prospered partly because of the almost immediate popularity of his beverages in the US.

In 1923, the company was bought for $1,000,000 by P. D Saylor and J. M Mathes, who founded the present Canada Dry Corp.

Canada Dry was the first major soft drink company to put soft drink in cans in 1953 and it also introduced sugar free drinks in 1964.

In 1986, Cadbury Schweppes, the world’s first soft drink maker, purchased Canada Dry.
History of Canada Dry

Soft drinks and dental cavities relationship

2011-08-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

High sugar beverages such as softdrinks are more likely to cause dental carries when they are sipped slowly over an extended period of time.

Dental cavities are often associated with carbonated beverage. Most carbonated beverages contain phosphoric acid, citric acid and carbonic acid that leads to chemical erosion of teeth.

This association is important because the amount of sugars that are consumed is important in forming caries, which is when a cavity effects only the enamel, the outer protective layer of a tooth.

Soft drinks promote carries because they bathe the teeth of frequent consumers in sugar-water for long periods of time.

Caries are caused by the bacteria mutants streptococci, which is a part of dental plaque.

The bacteria attach to teeth and produce high amounts of acid from sugars and other types of acid.

What is dental carries? Dental carries are lesions in the tooth crown or root which develop due to site specific demineralization of the tooth enamel, dentine and cementum as a result of organic acids produced by bacteria which permanently inhabit dental plaque.
Soft drinks and dental cavities relationship

Cyclamate in soft drinks

2011-07-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

With the general name of cycklohexysulphamate, this sweetener was discovered in 1937 by Michael Sveda at the University of Illinois.

Cyclamate is almost invariably used as either the sodium or calcium salt, each of which is a non caloric, white crystalline powder with good solubility.

The relative sweetness of cyclamate is comparatively low, at approximately 35, in most foods system. The taste of cyclamate as a sole sweetener has a slow onset time and can have a sweet/sour after taste at high concentrations.

In combination with other intense sweeteners, its sweetness quality is greatly improved and it is synergistic with saccharin.

Cyclamate is stable under conditions likely to be encountered in soft drinks, that is, pH range 2-7, pasteurization and UHT treatments. It is stable at high temperatures and therefore suitable for cooking and baking. It is often used in soft drinks, dairy product and chocolate.

Cyclamates are non-cariogenic and non-caloric. The majority of people metabolize less than 10% of cyclamate intake.

Cyclamates were first approved in 1951 for the use of diabetics and others which need to restrict the intake of sugar.

In 1969, it was banned in the United States for use in general purpose foods on the basis of studies suggesting it may cause tumors in laboratory animals.

In August 1970, the FDA banned cyclamate completely from all food and drugs and several other countries followed suits.
Cyclamate in soft drinks

Aspartame in softdrinks

2011-06-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

Aspartame is the generic name for N-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester. It was discovered as a potential high-intensity sweetener in 1965 by J. Schlatter.

Aspartame is made by joining two protein components, aspartic acid and phenylalanine and a small amount of methanol. When digested and absorbed, it provides 4 kilocalories per gram.

The taste profile of aspartame is similar to sucrose sweetness and this has been the overriding factor contributing to is success in the market place.

Before the approval of aspartame in 1983, most low calorie softdrinks used saccharin as the main sweetener. To mask the bitter aftertaste of saccharin, blends of saccharin and cyclamate or saccharin and sucrose were used.

A relative sweetness value of 180 at 10% sucrose equivalence is often used in softdrink formulations.

Taste quality of aspartame is a clean sweet taste without the bitter metallic or licorice aftertaste often associated with intense sweeteners.

As would be expected from a compound essentially made up of two amino acids, aspartame undergoes degradation in solution.

Hydrolysis of the ester bond gives the peptide aspartyl-L-phenylalanine with the elimination of methanol.

The critical factors that dictate the rate of aspartame degradation in softdrink are pH, temperature, moisture and time.

Fortunately, for the softdrinks manufacturer the optimum pH for aspartame stability is pH 3 to 5 with maximum stability at pH 4.3. The closer the softdrinks formulator can get to this level the better. In practice, many beverages containing aspartame have a pH in the 3.0-3.7.

The effect of UHT aseptic processes on softdrinks containing aspartame is minimal. Typical aspartame losses would be in the range 0.5-5% for most standard treatments.

Therefore, the effect of temperature on stability of aspartame in softdrinks is likely to be a function f storage and distribution temperature.

Although some people report headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea or allergic reactions with aspartame use, scientific studies failed to confirm these effects.
Aspartame in softdrinks

History of High Fructose Corn Syrup in Soft Drinks

2011-04-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

The first corn syrup in the United States was produced in Buffalo, New York, in 1866. A major breakthrough occurred in 1967 with the patenting of an enzymatic process to convert dextrose to fructose, a 6 carbon sugar that is sweeter tasting than sucrose.

Americans began producing starch sugar from cornstarch instead of potato starch. Its cheaper than table sugar.

In 1971, food scientist in Japan found a way to produce a cheaper sweetener from corn. HFCS began to appear in frozen foods to protect against freezer burn and in vending machine products to preserve taste.

In United States HFCS became an important player in the sweetener market among sugar substitutes. Production of HFCS has increased from 51,000 mt in 1970 to nearly 8.7 million mt in 2001.

HFCS was first introduced to the beverages industry in the early 1970s. Improvements in quality encouraged parent soft drink companies to allow HFCS to replace sucrose as the primary nutritive sweetener.

In the 1980s, both Coke and Pepsi switched from a fifty-fifty blend of sugar and corn syrup to 100 percent HFCS, saving them 20 percent in sweetener costs.

By 1992, HFCS had become a major component of all major soft drinks.

HFCS is a cheaper and attractive alternative, especially for products of soft drinks who are major users of sweeteners.

Beverages sweetened with HFCS account for 80% of added sugar in the US diet and account for 80% of the recent increases in calorific intake of the global diet.

HFCS -55 has sweetness equivalent to sucrose and is used in carbonated soft drinks in the USA – such as cola.
History of High Fructose Corn Syrup in Soft Drinks

Mecca Cola

2011-04-13T01:55:00.001-07:00

Mecca Cola is a cola drink that is sold in over 56 countries around the world. It was introduce in France in 2002 by a Tunisian born lawyer, Tawfik Mathlouthi.

By tasting and looking like any other cola drink, and with its use of red and white labeling and packing reaffirming its identity as a cola drink, Mecca Cola was able to compete against more established competitors.

There is already a diet version of Mecca Cola as well as apple, lime, orange, flavored drinks produced by the same company and exported throughout Europe and the Arab world.

By 2005 the company marketing a range of softdrinks in 64 countries and sold 1 billion liters worldwide.

The founder boasts that Mecca Cola has become the third world brand for cola after Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Mecca Cola

What is Aspartame?

2011-03-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

Aspartame is produced from L-phenylalanine and extremely popular low calorie peptide used as a sweetener in many countries.

Chemically aspartame is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester.

The taste profile of aspartame is similar to sucrose sweetness. The maximum use level in soft drinks within the European Union is 600 mg/L, which means that, it can be used as the sole sweetener in soft drinks.

Although it is caloric (4 Kcal/g), its sweetness relative to sucrose (180-200) makes it an attractive very low calorie sweetener.

Aspartame is the key ingredient found in artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet and Equal and is used to sweeten diet drinks such as Diet Coke and diet Pepsi along with laterally hundreds of other products.

The use of this sweetener was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1981 after extensive testing, although there is still considerable controversy about its safety.
What is Aspartame?

Osteoporosis and Softdrinks

2011-02-21T20:35:00.001-08:00

Bone mass peaks in the early 30s. After this age most people lose approximately one percent of bone mass a year. As more and more bone is lost, the bone becomes weaker and more brittle, a condition known as osteoporosis.

A very serious effect of soft drinks on people’s health is the correlation between soft drink consumption and the increased risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.

People who drinks instead of milk or other dairy products likely will have lower calcium intakes. Low calcium intake contributes to osteoporosis, a disease leading to fragile and broken bones.

The large amounts of sugar, bubbles caused by carbon dioxide, and phosphoric acid that are found in soft drinks remove nutritious minerals from bones allowing the bones to become weak and increasing the risk for them to break.

This is done by the phosphoric acid disrupting the calcium-phosphorous ratio, which dissolves calcium from the bones. This can cause calcium loss in bones. The phosphorus acid then pulls the calcium from their storage warehouse – that is, their teeth and bones.

The result is osteoporosis – that is, loss of density of bones, back and disc trouble, pyorrhea and of course, decayed teeth.

All soft drinks are made with a solution of phosphoric acid. This is in part what gives them their kick.

Many people consume soft drinks instead of necessary beverages like milk, so their bodies are not receiving enough nutrients, especially calcium.

By lowering bone mineral density it may be increasing osteoporosis risk.

This deficiency in calcium intake and increased consumption of soft drinks is a greater problem for women than for men.

On average, women reported drinking five carbonated drinks a week, four of them colas. Calcium intake was lower for women who drank the most cola.

The discrepancy between genders is because men traditionally eat more and consume more milk than their female counter parts, so soft drinks do not have as profound of an effect on men.
Osteoporosis and Softdrinks

Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality

2010-10-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality
Health issues are already influencing the dynamics of the soft drinks industry and this influence is likely to become more pronounced as time progresses.

Bottled water fruit based still drinks and fruit juice/nectars have gained volume on the back of an increased understanding of good health.

As consumers, they wish to ‘live healthy and die healthy’.

At the core of this concept of ‘wellness’ – an increasing awareness of physical well being and good health.

Wellness drinks are those beverages that aid health and well being. Consequently, a broad range of products can be said to fit the wellness mould: from bottled water to juice and tea based drinks as well as those with added ingredients to provide an additional functional benefits.

To feel good and be healthy has high importance for most consumers Although broader in scope than functional beverages, wellness drink span the naturally functional and the scientifically enhanced.

Functional soft drinks are defined as drinks providing a health benefit beyond their basic nutritional value, by virtue of their physiologically active added components.

Drinks providing a health benefit based in their inherent ingredients, such as mineral water, cranberry juice and green tea, can be said to be naturally functional, unless they are fortified with vitamins or other functional ingredients.

A functional can therefore be made between products functional by nature (water and orange juice) and those made functional by producers.

For functional soft drinks, the term ‘health benefits’ is used in its widest possible application and includes benefits such a improved sports performance, increased mental alertness and better skin, which would not normally be considered health benefits in the strictest sense.
Soft Drinks: Wellness and Functionality

Early History of Root Beer

2010-09-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Early History of Root Beer
Roy Allen, who refurbished old hotels, met a pharmacists who had perfected a recipe for making root beer.

Allen bought the recipe and on June 20, 1919, opened a root beer stand in Lodi, California, offering frosty mugs of root beer for a nickel.

Shortly thereafter, he opened more stands in Stockton and Sacramento, one of which may have been a drive in.

In 1920, Frank Wright, an employee at the Stockton stand, became Allen’s partner they combine their initial and called the company A & W Root Beer.

Additional A & W stands were opened throughout California, Utah an Texas.

Allen eventually bought out Wright trademark the A & W became one of the first fast food franchise chains in the country.

Franchisees paid a small licensing fee, displayed the A & W logo, and bought root beer syrup from Allen.

Other than these connections, little commonality existed among franchisees - no common architecture, no common menu, and no common procedures or national advertising.

Some A & W Root Beer franchisees began selling food, including hamburgers and hot dogs, along with root beer. Some early A & W Root Beer stands were drive ins, featuring tray-boys ad tray –girls, later renamed carhops, who bought orders to customers in their car outside.

The depression affected franchises differently. Some went out of business but others opened more new stands. In 1933, A & W had 170 outlets; by 1942, it had stands nationwide.

The war years between 1941 and 1945, it had 260 stands nationwide. The war between 1941 and 1945, on the other hand, were very difficult time for A & W.

There were labor shortages and sugar shortages, and by the tine war ended many franchises had closed. After the war, however A & W rapidly expanded.

During the 1950s, Roy Allen sold the business to a Nebraskan, Gene Hurtz, who formed the A & W Root Beer Company,

Within ten years, the number of A & W outlets had increases to more than 2,000.

In 1956, an A & W Root Beer outlet opened in Canada followed by Guam and the Philippines.
Early History of Root Beer

Water in Soft drink

2010-08-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

Water in Soft drink
Water constitutes some 90% of a typical soft drink. The quality of the water used must, by necessity meet very stringent standards as each bottle or can of a given drink must be indistinguishable from all others.

Statutory requirements as the to the quality of a soft drink must be adhered to in each producing country.

Any ‘off’ taste in the water used will be carried over to the soft drink.

For these reasons, all the water used in a soft drinks plant must confirm to an agreed specification Each major soft drinks manufacturer has its own standards, developed over the years through trial and error.

These standards ensure that wherever a particular drink is produced the taste and quality are the same.

In addition, risk to the consumer and to the business must be considered at all tines. If the water used is contaminated in any way, the risk to the business increase.

As part of good manufacturing practice, samples of water should be analyzed more thoroughly for a wider range of components, including heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, some of which known to be carcinogens.
Water in Soft drink

Overview of Carbonated Beverages

2010-07-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

Overview of Carbonated Beverages
Soft drinks are unique in being a class of beverage that is mainly served as a thirst quench.

The most popular flavors are colas, lemon-lime, orange, ginger ale, and herbal types such as root beer and birch beer.

Most of the drinks are prepared from extracts or infusion of various roots, berries, barks or herbs with a suitable solvent or diluents or they be made from the juice and pulp of various fruits.

Essential oils are sometimes added in some of the flavors and in a few cases synthetic flavors are used.

Substantially all of the the drinks are acidulated with edible acids such as phosphoric, citric, tartaric or lactic.

They contain sugar or sugars which impart much of their flavor and their caloric value although some dietetic varieties contain a noncaloric sweetener – saccharin.

Weighing oil, clouding agents, foaming agents, defoaming agents, bodying agents, preservatives, antioxidants, buffering agents and other optional ingredients may be used depending upon the particular flavor formulation.

Caramel and certified food colors may also be employed to enhance the appearance of the product.

The majority of the soft drinks contain a supersaturated carbon dioxide, up to 5 gas volumes and have a pH value between 2.4 to 4.5 . These factors create an environment that is either germicidal or inhibitory to a great number of microorganisms.

A microbial growth of public health significance cannot occur in these acidulated carbonated drinks.

Due to the competitive nature of the beverage industries and in order to keep production costs at the lowest possible kevel, beverage manufacturers have tended toward installation of high speed packaging lines and automatic control systems.

Thus an efficient plant operation has become more mechanized and leans toward scientific management. The old fashioned and essentially manually operated small scale plants are now deemed to be uneconomically and find themselves struggling to survive in today’s business environment.
Overview of Carbonated Beverages

Acesulfame K in Soft Drinks as a Sweetener

2010-06-16T03:42:00.000-07:00

Acesulfame K in Soft Drinks as a Sweetener
As with all intense sweeteners, sweetness potency of acesulfame K relative to sucrose decreases with increasing concentration and varies with the medium in which the sweetener is being tested and the method used for qualifying sweetness.

The taste profile of acesulfame K is generally considered to be superior to saccharin. It has a rapid onset time but the sweetness quality is marred by a bitter astringent aftertaste that is particularly noticeable at higher concentrations.

Sweetness quality can be greatly improved by combining with other intense and bulk sweeteners. High levels of synergism (30% and above) reportedly occur with aspartame and to a lesser extent with cyclamate, glucose fructose and sucrose.

Very little synergy is repeated to occur with saccharin , possible because they compete for the same sweet receptor site.

The aftertaste of acesulfame K can be masked in some cases by the addition of sugar alcohols maltol and ethyl maltol.

In soft drinks as a sole sweetener, levels of 600-800 and 550-750 mg/l for cola and citrus flavored drinks, respectively are appropriate.

Blending with other sweeteners, in particular aspartame, gives a much more acceptable product.
Acesulfame K in Soft Drinks as a Sweetener

Public Perceptions and the Challenges

2010-05-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Public Perceptions and the Challenges
Unfortunately the very success of carbonated soft drinks, and their resulting high profile, has provoked hostility towards them.

Initially from the environmentalists, who perceived drinks packaging as a major source of waste and litter, because even though it represents only a relatively small percentage of total packaging waste it is highly visible.

Considerable light weighting of both cans and bottles and reductions in both the amount and weight of outer packaging has reduced the waste associated from drinks and there is significant recycling of the metal content of cans.

However the introduction of legislation, has had a major impact on the industry.

Most recently as the media’s attention has focused on obesity, especially where it affects children the term ‘fizzy drinks’ has become indelibly linked to ‘junk food’ to such an extent that it has become a pejorative term.

Fizzy drinks are in danger of becoming a hate figure – blamed for the world’s ill.

There are currently concerted moves in many countries to ban fizzy drinks from school. Indeed some extremists have gone so far as to propose that they should not be sold within a given fixed radius of any school premises.

Some schools already prohibit children from taking carbonated drinks into school, for example in lunch boxes.
Public Perceptions and the Challenges

The History of Cadbury Schweppes

2010-04-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

The History of Cadbury Schweppes
In 1783, in Geneva, Switzerland, Jacob Schweppes independently developed a process of adding carbonation into mineral water and Schweppes was born.

A number of years later, in the United Kingdom in 1824, John Cadbury began selling tea and coffee.

These sales were bolstered by his increasing sales of coca and chocolate.

Cadbury Schweppes was formed in 1969 via merger of Schweppes (predominantly beverages) and Cadbury (predominantly confectionary/chocolate).

Hence, the merger in 1969 was of giants on the carbonated soft drink (CSD) and confectionary (Cadbury) market reflecting their primary lines of business.

Today, Cadbury Schweppes has the largest share of the global confectionary market and a strong regional presence with carbonated soft drinks in North America.

Their carbonated soft drinks portfolio was enhanced greatly through numerous acquisitions, over the years including A&W in 1993 and Dr Pepper/7 Up in 1995.

Outside of the carbonated soft drinks market Cadbury Schweppes acquired Snapple beverages in 2000. In 2005, Cadbury Schweppes has over $11 billion revenue and a stock market valuation over $21 billion.

In 2004, Cadbury Schweppes had a combined 14.4 percent share of the carbonated soft drinks market in the United States.
The History of Cadbury Schweppes

History Carbonation of Soft Drinks

2010-04-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

History Carbonation of Soft Drinks
The carbonated soft drinks in the form of carbonated water, go back in history to the effervescent mineral waters from natural springs.

Bathing in such waters was long believed to have health giving results, and the waters were often considered as having curative powers as well.

The natural conclusions was, therefore, that, when potable, drinking these waters would also result in a contribution to one’s health.

These carbonated mineral waters were sometimes called “seltzers,” apparently after the name of the natural springs of carbonated water near a small German village called Niederseltsers.

An English scientist, John Priestly, first carbonated a glass of water artificially in 1767 by dissolving the gas formed from the fermentation process from nearby beer brewery, in the water.

A few years later, a Swedish chemist, Torbern Bergman, generated large amounts of CO2 by treating chalk with acid.

The path was opened that eventually, led in gradual steps, including CO2 production from sodium bicarbonate reaction in acid solutions, through the gas production from dry ice CO2 converters, to the modern carbonated soft drinks carbonation processing equipment using the huge bulk storage vessels or pressurized liquid CO2.
History Carbonation of Soft Drinks

Definition of the term Soft Drinks

2010-03-08T03:37:00.000-08:00

Definition of the term Soft Drinks
The term “soft drinks” is applied in the United Sates to common beverages which contain no alcohol.

From the point of view of composition, there is no rule which can be formulated by means of which composition is controlled, unless it should be specific legal regulation.

The typical soft drink of the United States is known as soda water. This phrase is to some extent a misbranding since it is so called because originally the gas with which it is charged was derived from carbonate or bicarbonate of soda.

The name as become so firmly attached to waters of this kind that it probably will be accepted in the future as distinctive.

In this country it is mixed, before drinking, with syrup, which in addition to the sugar it contains, has a flavoring material to give it character.

The syrup[ is made of pure sugar or at least should be and the flavoring material is a vegetable juice or extract of some kind, such as vanilla, orange, coffee, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, pineapple, lemon, banana, cherry.

The above are all natural flavors and wholly unobjectionable from an ethical point of view.
Definition of the term Soft Drinks

The Sense of Taste

2010-02-24T01:07:00.000-08:00

The Sense of Taste
In physiological terms, the sense of taste can be describe as the sensations perceive in the mouth when a food and drink is consumed.

This is basically accomplished by chemical interaction of food components with taste sensory tissues in the tongue and other areas in the mouth. Commonly can be called these the “taste buds”.

However, the overall sensory impact experienced when food is tasted involves more than just the actual individual taste sense.

It is often more of a combination of taste with several additional senses – olfactory (smell), visual, touch and sometimes, even sound.

Would freshly squeezed orange juice taste like orange without the aromatic impact of the volatile citrus oils in the peel and the juice itself on sense of smell?

Would it taste like orange if, for some absurd reason, it was deep purple in color?

Would we not think something was wrong if we did not feel and sort of “hear” the small little juice sacs pop in our mouth as we swirl the liquid around our tongues?

Food technologists tend to think in terms of a drink’s “sensory properties” when evaluating it for taste.

These are the different sensory perception factors that impact on our brain: sweetness, sourness, flavor, mouthfeel, color, clarity, etc.

In a carbonated soft drink the gas content or its “fizziness” is a critical factor as well.

In addition to the sensory factors the temperature and presentation of the tested product would also play a significant part in the test results.

Therefore, a “taste test” would not only mean how does it taste but would also refer to a general evaluation of its sensory properties.
The Sense of Taste

Acesulfame K

2010-02-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

Acesulfame K
Acesulfame K is the generic name for the potassium salt of 6 methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one-2.2.disoxide; it is a derivative of acetoacetic acid and was discovered by the German company in 1967.

Acesulfame K is a white, non-hygroscopic crystalline; at room temperature solubility (270 g/l) in water, poor in organic solvent, but increases in solvent water mixtures.

Application in soft drinks: sensory
As with all intense sweeteners, sweetness potency of acesulfame K relative to sucrose decreases with increasing concentration and varies with the medium in which the sweetener is being tested and the method used for quantifying sweetness.

The taste profile of acesulfame K is generally considered to be superior to saccharin.

It has a rapid onset time but the sweetness quality is marred by a bitter astringent aftertaste that is particularly noticeable at higher concentrations.

Sweetness quality can be greatly improved buy combining with other intense and bulk sweetness.

High levels of synergisms (30% and above) occur with aspartame and to a lesser extent with cyclamate, glucose, fructose and sucrose.
Acesulfame K

Brief History of Carbonated Soft Drink Industry

2010-01-22T02:04:00.000-08:00

Brief History of Carbonated Soft Drink Industry
The history of the carbonated soft drink market is an interesting one that sheds some light on the industry structure and conduct of today.

The first marketed (noncarbonated) soft drinks actually appeared in the seventeenth century (they were made from water and lemon juice sweetened with honey).

In Paris, vendors carried tanks of lemonade on their backs and dispensed cups to customers on the streets.

Carbonated soft drinks date back to the mineral water found in natural springs – scientist discovered that carbon dioxide was behind the bubbles in natural mineral water.

Over time, scientists and entrepreneurs devised various methods for adding carbonation to beverages.

In 1767, the first drinkable man made glass of carbonated water was created by Dr. Joseph Priestly in the United Kingdom.

In 1798, the term soda water was first coined, and in 1810, the first U.S patent was issued for the “means of mass manufacturer of imitation mineral waters” to Simon and Rudnell of Charleston, South Carolina.

However, carbonated beverages did not achieve great popularity in America until the 1830s, when an easily mass manufactured apparatus for making carbonated water was created and offered for sale and soda fountain owners.

By 1920, the US census had reported that over 5,000 bottlers were in operation.

The first ginger ale was created in Ireland in 1851, the first root beer was mass produced for public sale in 1876, the first cola-flavored beverage was introduced in 1881, and the first “no-cal” beverage was introduced in 1952.

By the 1950s, American pharmacies with soda fountains became a popular part of culture and persisted en masses until the late 1960s.

Overtime, customers soon wanted to take their “health” drinks home with them and soft drinks bottling industry grew from consumer demand.

Today, the interplay between the “Big Three ” players (Coca-cola, Pepsi-cola and Cadbury Schweppes) on the manufacturing side, the bottles on the distribution end, the retailers downstream and the end-use consumers is a complex and ever-evolving maze of horizontal and vertical relationship that requires a deep understanding od the players as well as the dynamic interactions across each.
Brief History of Carbonated Soft Drink Industry

Alitame

2010-01-11T05:13:00.000-08:00

Alitame
Alitame is the generic name for L-alpha-aspartyl-N-N(2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thetanyl-delta-alaninamide hydrate.

It is a white non-hygroscopic crystalline powder with good solubility in water

Alitame is approximately 2000 times as sweet as sucrose (10% equivalent).

The taste is similar to that of sucrose and aspartame.

Alitame is an amino acid derivative and therefore, not completely stable. It does hydrolyze in acid conditions, but is more stable than aspartame under conditions.

Alitame is partially metabolized and absorbed in humans and is excreted as a mixture of its metabolites and unchanged Alitame.

The caloric value of Alitame is 1.4 cal/g.

Alitame offers some benefits, such as stability at high temperatures and a broader pH range.

At a pH of 6-8 and at room temperature, it is stable for over a year, It is stable at high temperatures, withstanding pasteurization.

However, prolonged storage of acidic solutions at high temperatures or the combination with certain ingredients (hydrogen peroxide and sodium bisulfate) may produce off flavors.

Alitame is noncariogenic. From an oral load of alitame, 7-22% is unabsorbed and excreted in the feces.

The remainder is hydrolyzed to aspartic acid and alanine amide.

The aspartic acid is metabolized normally, and the alanine amide is excreted in the urine as a sulfoxide isomer, sulfone or conjugated with glucoronic acid,
Alitame

Definition of Soft Drinks

2009-12-09T16:28:00.001-08:00

Definition of Soft Drinks
The term “soft drinks” is applied in the United Sates to common beverages which contain no alcohol.

From the point of view of composition, there is no rule which can be formulated by means of which their composition is controlled, unless it should be by specific legal regulation.

The typical soft drink of the United States is known as soda water. This phrase is to some extent, a misbranding, since it is so called because originally the gas with which it is charged was derived from carbonate or bicarbonate of soda.

The name has become so firmly attached to waters of this kind that it probably will be accepted in the future as distinctive.

It is mixed, before drinking, with syrup which in addition to the sugar it contains, has a flavoring material to give it character.

The syrup is made of pure sugar, or at least should be and the flavoring material is a vegetable juice or extract of some kind, such as vanilla, orange ,coffee, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, pineapple, lemon, banana, cherry.

Other dinks of this kind are legion.

Some of them are of a composition to which the term soft drink is probably not applicable because this appellation should be reserve solely for beverages which contain no added injurious ingredient.

The moment a substance is placed in a soft drink which is open to objection on account of its injury to health, the article ought to lose the right to be known by that application.
Definition of Soft Drinks

Fructose

2009-11-09T06:08:00.001-08:00

Fructose
Fructose can also used as a sugar substitute in crystalline or syrup form.

It is present naturally in many fruits and in honey, but commercially it is manufactured using sucrose as a starting material.

Sucrose is first hydrolyzed to a glucose-fructose mixture.

The monosaccharides glucose and fructose are separated using chromatography and the fructose is then crystallized.

Fructose has some interesting physiological properties. It is monosaccharide sugar with an energy content of 4 kcals/g (17 kJ/g) but due to its increased sweetness can be used at lower levels than sucrose.

Fructose is slowly absorbed and metabolized by the body, independent of insulin production, and does not cause rapid rises in blood glucose after ingestion.

It is therefore, suitable for diabetics and also for use in drinks intended to act as a lower more sustained energy source.

Owing it to limited effect on blood glucose, it is a low glycaemic index sweetener (compared with glucose).

This is an area of increased nutritional interest and may be a stimulus to the greater use of fructose in drinks.

Fructose has also been shown to have a increase satiety effect, compared with other sweeteners.

Mineral absorption (iron and calcium) has also been shown to be positively affected by the incorporation of fructose into the diet.

Chemically, fructose is very active and it readily takes part in maillard reactions, which may cause browning in some products.

It is available in crystalline anhydrous form and also in high concentrations syrups.
Fructose

A brief History of Soft Drinks

2009-10-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

A brief History of Soft Drinks
It could perhaps be argued that Hippocrates planted the first seeds of the soft drinks industry when he wrote that mineral waters might bring health benefits.

However, he and other ancient Greeks and Romans used them, instead for relaxation and bathing.

Indeed, it was centuries later that the term “soda water” was coined in 1798.

The first patent for imitation mineral waters was issued in 1810, and they came to be considered the “health drinks” of the 19th century.

By the 1930s, pharmacists were experimenting with adding such ingredients as barks and flowers to enhance these perceived benefits, and the result was the first series of flavored sodas, including root beet, lemon and ginger ale.

Root beer was first produced for wide public sale, primarily in soda fountains, in 1876 and cola in 1881.

In 1885, Charles Aderton introduced Dr. Pepper; in 1886, John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola and in 1898, Caleb Bradham formulated Pepsi-Cola.

By early 1920s, soft drinks were sold in six packs for home consumption and in automatic vending machines.

From 1970 to 1997, production of regular, sweetened soft drinks in the United States increased from 22.2 to 41.4 gallons per person per year and the production of diet soft drinks increased from 2.1 to 11.6 gallons per person per year.

These amounts mean that the annual per capita supply of 12 ounce soft drinks in the United States is equivalent to 442 and 124 diet drinks; a cumulative total of 566 cans of soft drinks per person each year.
A brief History of Soft Drinks

The Benefits of Soft Drinks

2009-10-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Soft Drinks
Soft drinks have certain socioeconomically values and benefits.

They are main sources of the required body water intake in geographical areas where either there is not enough or no potable quality water.

Such area could be, on one hand in densely populated and highly polluted first world countries.

Here it must be pointed put that most soft drinks manufacturers adhere to the principles of treatment and purification of water for their products, and thus, indirectly rendering the locally available polluted water as potable by humans.

On the other hand, these areas may be in underdeveloped countries where natural drinking water sources are either far removed or again, the available water is too polluted.

Or not much less importance is that in our world in which millions of people suffer and die of starvation, soft drinks are simple and immediate source of carbohydrate nutrition – one glass of naturally sweetened soft drinks supplies about 20 g of sugar, which interprets into 320 kJ (76 Cal).

A glass or two of a soft drink can therefore supply a small but significant portion of essential nutrition to such unfortunates.

In addition, not only do soft drinks supply the drinking water but also the natural micronutrients it contains.

The treated water in soft drinks retains most of its original natural minerals content.

In underdeveloped countries, where local cater sources are polluted or are far removed from the community, soft drinks thus supply some of the micronutrients minerals that would have normally been unavailable.

Furthermore, many soft drinks are, for marketing purposes, especially enriched with minerals and vitamins and other nutrients.

Once again, soft drinks serve a nutritional function, especially in poverty stricken and undernourished communities and countries.

The more than 500 billion liters of soft drinks consumed annually are produced in thousands of bottling plants scattered around the world, providing employment for million of workers.

The support industries, such as bottling and canning equipment manufacturers, raw material producers, transport and cargo fleets an many other, in turn, provide gainful employment to still more millions of workers.
The Benefits of Soft Drinks

Use of Intense Sweeteners

2009-09-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

Use of Intense Sweeteners
Use of sweeteners in soft drinks is not restricted to low calorie or dietetic products.

In some countries, particularly where sugar price are comparatively high, intense sweeteners are used in combination with sugar or glucose syrups to give more efficient formulations.

Intense sweeteners provide sweetness, the amount supplied – i.e. the relative sweetness of all intense sweetness – will depend on application.

Intense sweeteners do not supply the mouth feel of sugar and in some cases, they may supply undesirable side tastes or prove to be incompatible with some flavors.

For these reasons, use of intense sweeteners in soft drinks is rarely a case of direct substation of sucrose in the regular product formulations; more often than not, total reformulation is necessary.

It may be necessary to adjust the acidity and use buffers to assist stability of some sweeteners.

Some adjustment of flavor system used is commonly required and the use of gums or small amounts of sugars can improve mouth feel and control fobbing during filling.

Use of ingredients that mask undesirable side tastes may also be required.

Increasing the carbonation of low calorie products may also help mask undesirable side tastes and give the illusion of better mouth feel.

Sweetness synergy occurs with many combinations of intense (and bulk) sweeteners. The effects can be twofold: a higher perceived sweetness than would be expected from the theoretical sum of the relative sweetness values of the individual used and in some cases, a marked improvement in taste quality of sweetness that have undesirable side tastes.

The optimum sweetener system will vary depending on the product and will not necessarily be a sweetener blend.

However if a sweetener blend is to be used , useful starting point often quoted for blends of two intense sweeteners is that sweeteners are used in an inverse ratio to their relative sweetness (to each other), so that each sweetener contributes 50% of the total sweetness.
Use of Intense Sweeteners

The Growth Consumption of Carbonates

2009-09-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

The Growth Consumption of Carbonates
The growth of carbonates worldwide has been a remarkable phenomenon not only in the USA and western Europe, but also in Mexico, Brazil, eastern Europe, China ad India.

In the USA especially, carbonates have dominated the soft drinks market and the carbonates market has been dominated by cola.

This worldwide growth in carbonates can be attributed in large part to the two major American cola companies and their aggressive international sales and marketing campaign.

In the UK, Europe and Japan, cola accounts for almost half of the total carbonated soft drinks market and in the USA almost 70%.

In USA and UK it is clear that carbonates’ dominance of the soft drinks market has peak and begun to wane in the past few years.

In the UK, carbonates volume reached more than half of the total soft drinks market, peaking around 52% in the mid 1990s.

Three factors were largely responsible for the remarkable growth in popularity of carbonated: marketing, lifestyle and technology.

‘Demand creation’ by the major brands using powerful images on a worldwide scale has been a key factor in exciting public interest.

This has been coupled with a massive increase in availability.

Carbonates are now available at virtually every location; not just in shops and supermarkets, but in cinema, sports centers garages and railway stations and are frequently sold form refrigerated vendors for even better refreshments.

The trend has been also influenced by changing lifestyle and greater convenience.

For example, the ‘easy open end’ on cans had a marked impact on their convenience and hence popularity from their introduction in the 1970s.

The introduction of PET enabled larger sizes of bottles to be manufactured than was possible with glass, that is, 2 and 3 liters and the introduction of ‘multipacks; for cans and bottle has encourage shoppers to purchase larger quantities.

This trend has help by the move to out of-town shopping centers easily accessible by car.

A frequently ignored supply route for carbonates is that of dispensed drinks, that is, where the drink is supplied to the retail outlet in the form of a concentrated syrup, which is diluted with cold carbonated water at the point of serving to the customer by means of a fixed dispensing system.

This type of operation is commonly found in fast food outlets and large bars.

Dispensed carbonates account for 11% of the total UK consumption of carbonates and their growth has been driven by lifestyle changes resulting in a greater proportion of food and drink now being consumed away from home.

The introduction of modern technology has enabled considerable cost savings. This has been achieved by economics of scale by the ‘light-weighting’ of can and bottles (thereby saving raw material), by increased automation, by a reduction in the use of outer packaging and by savings in distribution costs.
The Growth Consumption of Carbonates

Glucose Syrups/High Fructose Syrups

2009-08-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

Glucose Syrups/High Fructose Syrups
Glucose syrups, also known as corn syrups in the United States, are defined by European Commission (EC) as ‘a refined, concentrated aqueous solution of D(+)-glucose, maltose and other polymers of D-glucose obtained by the controlled partial hydrolysis of starch.

Glucose syrups were first manufactured industrially in the nineteenth century by acid hydrolysis of starch.

Hydrochloric acid was normally used, because sulphuric acid cause haze in syrups due to insoluble sulphates.

The source of starch can vary; in United States corn is widely used, whereas in other part o the world wheat, potato and cassava starch also employed.

The method is non specific, but of conditions are tightly controlled, it is possible to make products with a reasonably consistent carbohydrate profile.

Enzymes are also use to hydrolyze starch to glucose syrups, and these give a greater degree of control over the sugar profile of the resulting syrup.

The availability of commercial isomerizes enzymes in the 1970s, which are capable of converting glucose to fructose, allowed significant development of the production of high-fructose corn syrups with fructose levels of 42% an a sweetness level equivalent to sucrose.

Use of separation technology allowed further refinement of these products to give 55% fructose syrups.

These types of syrups are used extensively in the soft drinks, particularly in the United States.

In soft drinks, glucose, syrups are used to provide sweetness and mouthfeel to products and occasionally specific physiological properties in sports and energy drinks.
Glucose Syrups/High Fructose Syrups

Soft Drink and Detractors

2009-07-19T01:17:00.000-07:00

Soft Drink and Detractors
In spite of the abundant consumption of soft drink all over the world, here is a large lobby of detractors of these beverages.

And it is growing from year to year.

Soft drinks are blamed for multitude of health and general well being problems of modern society.

From contributing to obesity and dental caries, though allergy problems and heart ailments, and ending with a multitude of issues from the ever-flowing studies by respected scientific bodies covering numerous human health defects – soft drinks have been blamed for most of these.

There is no real argument against such detractors, other than to state first, that all of these problems are not restricted to the domain of soft drinks. They apply to many other foods and the eating habits of our modern society.

Second, much like alcoholic beverages and gambling, for example, the detrimental effects of which are even more evident and widely known, million of people indulge in soft dink consumption for the simple reason that they enjoy them.

This enjoyment seems to outweigh the dangers about which detractors warn us.
Soft Drink and Detractors

Glucose syrup

2009-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Glucose syrup
Glucose syrups and high fructose syrups can be used as a complete, but more usually partial, replacement of sucrose in the majority of carbonated soft drinks.

Used in conjunction with sucrose syrups with appropriate fructose contents enable sweetness levels to be adjusted according to specific market preferences.

Glucose syrups, although available in drum containers, are generally supplied in specially designed road tankers.

The syrups normally incorporated are :demineralised 95DE syrup; 63DE syrup; high fructose syrup of 42% fructose and various blend of the above, with and without sucrose to produce the required level of sweetness viscosity and mouth feel.

The temperature of delivered glucose syrup depends on the specific type involved.

95DE is delivered at a minimum temperature of 50 degree C because of the possibility of crystallization below that temperature, 63De at a temperature of 40 – 45 degree C and high fructose at 28 – 30 degree C.

It is important to note that 63DE glucose syrup, in particular, will increase its solution color on storage.

Consequently, a mineralized form is necessary if the product is to be stored for up to three weeks.
Glucose syrup

Technological Development

2009-07-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Technological Development
Technology certainly played a large part in the growth of soft drinks in the second half of the twentieth century.

The development of cans, plastic bottles high speed packaging lines and improvement to distribution systems have been largely responsible for the increase in availability, the decrease in real term cost and the resultant increase in consumption.

The advent of of railways and large steam ships in the 1800s made transportation feasible and indeed drinks were exported from the UK to the USA as early as 1800.

The export trade continued to expand and by the mid-1800s significant trade was being done with far corners of the Empire.

This must have involved considerable cost and on a domestic basic the trade was on a much more local scale.

The industry evolved as a multitude of local businesses operating in a small geographical area, though some larger companies operated several production plants in different parts of the country.

The UK Bottlers; Year Book 1933 listed more than 2000 soft drink manufacturing companies but by 1983 the list had shrink to less than 400, and the number is now down to less than 100.

Likewise the number of bottling plants in the USA grew to reach a peak of 7920 in 1929, remaining fairly constant until around 1950 and then halved to 3727 by 1965 as improved productivity and distribution started to have a significant effect.

This having of the number of bottling plant took place over a period in which per capita consumption rose by over 60%.

The growth of cans and PET bottles at the expense of returnable glass has played a significant part in this continuing productivity improvement, which has been truly amazing.

As recently as 20 years ago a typical returnable glass bottle line producing, 300 bottles/min, required about 25 operating personnel.

Highly automated PET bottle blowing and filling operations have also improved production efficiencies significantly.

Other factors contributing to improved operational/ distribution efficiencies (both in time and cost) include:

Use of shrink wrap in place of crates or boxes

Micro-processor controlled equipment, for example, for palletisation

Automated syrup room operations

Centralized computer-controlled warehousing systems

Automated bar-coding and traceability systems

Technological Development

Soft Drinks – Preservatives

2009-05-30T19:45:00.001-07:00

Soft Drinks – Preservatives
A soft drink may be crystal clear in appearance, such as the common lemonade and cream soda. Or a soft drink may be cloudy, such as with citrus fruit-flavored drinks.

Thus, we can divide all soft drink into clear or cloudy drinks. The cloudiness is achieved either by the inclusion of a natural cloudy juice or by means of a clouding agent.

The latter is usually an oil-in-water emulsion from which fine globules of citrus or other natural oils are suspended in the liquid of the drinks and give it the characteristics cloudy appearance.

In carbonated soft drinks, an essential ingredient is carbon dioxide, which gives the fizziness to such beverages. In some of ingredients, this gaseous additive is sometimes referred to as carbonic acid, which forms when carbon dioxide is combined with water.

This gas also then contribute to the acidity of the beverage and, as such an auxiliary role as a preservative against spoilage.

Commonly used preservative in soft drinks are sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate and to a lesser degree, sulfur dioxide.

The soft drinks industry and indeed the entire food processing industry, has one continuous battle against the ever present hazard of microbiological spoilage when product t stands on the shelf.

Soft drinks that do not contain preservatives are usually processed under sophisticated hygienic conditions and treated in one manner or another, such as pasteurization, hot filling or ozonation, so that any microorganisms present in the beverage are killed before or during filling.

Some soft drinks may contain ingredients to give them a characteristics mouthfeel, that is, thicker sensation on the palate. These ingredients are usually natural plant gums or synthetic thickeners.

Still other ingredients may included for a specific brand profile, such as added vitamins and minerals a swell as gimmicky items, such as energy boosters, isotonic or hypotonic salts, antioxidants and a plethora of alleged medicinal, nutritional and health boosters.
Soft Drinks – Preservatives

Organic removal

2009-05-05T01:25:00.000-07:00

Organic removal
Dealkalisation is not the only ion-exchange process that is currently finding a place within the soft drinks industry.

The coagulation process not only reduced the alkalinity content of the water but also removed the organic matter as part of the flocculation reactions.

The dealkalisation process, however, is specific to the removal of alkalinity from water and all other constituents in the feed water will remain unaffected.

Organic matter in the raw water may cause taste and odor problems in the carbonated product, particularly after sterilization using chlorine.

In some areas the naturally occurring organic matter reaches levels where it is likely to give color to the water, which will necessitate its removal to meet the required specifications.

Other waters may also contain significant concentrations of organic matter (colorless to the naked eye) which will depend upon the nature and type of the organic molecule as well as the concentration.

In these circumstances organic removal must be considered a necessity.

Removal of organic matter by ion exchange was developed in the 1960s as a method of protecting anion exchange resins in a demineralization plant in order to maintain the quality of treated water produced.

The process uses an organic scavenger resin operating in the chlorine form. Natural organic matters are complex organic molecules that contain carboxylic acid active groups, meaning that they will act as weak anions, and will be held on the organic scavenger.

The organic scavenger is a highly porous resin that will allow the organic molecules easy passage in and out of the structure.

Ion exchange resins with a macroporous or macroreticular structure are particularly suited to this application and offer physical strength coupled with capacity and reversibility of organics during regeneration.

As ion-exchange treatment will only remove about 70% of the organic matter of the residual organic concentration after scavenger treatment is high enough to cause problems with the final product.

As a general rule waters having an organic content above 1ppm as measured by the 4 hours at 27 degree C permanganate test will require treatment while those waters that have a concentration at 1 ppm or below will not normally require special treatment.

Regeneration will use 10% sodium chloride prepared from concentration brine, though under certain conditions regeneration will be made with a mixture of 10% sodium chloride hydroxide and 2% sodium hydroxide, which will give the scavenger an operating capacity.

The regenerant will displace almost all of the organic matter absorbed in the previous operating cycle but some residue will remain in the resin and will require other regeneration techniques such as hot soaking or alkaline brine regeneration to assist in its removal.

Under certain condition the residue will not ne removed by any means and this residue will be classed as irreversible fouling of the resin.

The irreversible fouling of the resin will progressively increase and there will come a tome when the fouling threshold will reach such a level indicating that the economic life of the resin has been reach, which will mean that the resin must be changes.

Alkaline brine regeneration tends to remove more of the absorbed organic matter from the resin and therefore the build up of irreversible fouling will be slower.
Organic removal

What is Softdrinks?

2009-04-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

What is Softdrinks?
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?

Softdrinks Processing – Dechlorination of Water

2009-03-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Softdrinks Processing – Dechlorination of Water
Because of the oxidation reactions that are taking place during the sterilization period some of the chlorine will be consumed but the amount of chlorine dosed will be enough to ensure that there will always be at least a 5 ppm residual at the end of the sterilization period.

The residual free chlorine and the majority of the organic molecules will be removed from the sterilized water prior to use by absorption on activated carbon.

The activated carbon will be housed in a pressure filter which is similar in construction and arrangement to the sand filter.

The activated carbon will be supported in the filter on a bed of graded gravel and the volume for carbon will be calculated to a give a contact time of five minutes with the water.

This contact time will be long enough to remove all the free chlorine from the water.

Activated carbon will also remove other organic molecules that remain in the water after the coagulation reaction or are formed as part o the sterilization reactions.

A five minute contact time may be enough to remove not only the free chlorine but also a majority of the taste and odor forming organic molecules.

Some residual organic compounds may however, remain in the water because the contact time with activated carbon necessary for their total removal will be longer than five minutes.

In general, the organic residual is expected to be below the detection threshold with only a short contact time.
Softdrinks Processing – Dechlorination of Water

Packaging Evolution

2009-02-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

Packaging Evolution
Waters from natural springs were recognized as being safe (even healthy) to drink from earliest times and were transported by wherever means that were available.

Naturally carbonated waters were collected into earthenware containers which were tightly sealed with cork and wax, usually not very successfully.

The used of earthenware bottles proved to be unsatisfactory for the more highly carbonated aerated mineral waters and they were soon replaced by glass bottles.

Many of the early glass bottles had round bottoms ensuring that they were stored on their side, thereby keeping the corks moist and so preventing leakage from corks drying out.

The manufacture of glass bottles was a skilled job as they were hand blown.

Although some semi-automation had been introduced earlier, the first patent for an automatic glass bottle blowing machine was granted to Michael J. Owens in the USA in 1904.

High pressure generated inside bottles by the carbonation caused frequent leakage and although improved by wiring-in-place, corks were generally unsatisfactorily. Many alternative forms of seals were patented over the years and these fell broadly into three main categories:

Wire and rubber sealing devices were especially popular in the USA until the early 1900s. The wire could be either an internal spring form, which held a seal in place on the inside of the neck, or of the external ‘swing’ type, in which an external wire frame was used to hold a ceramic plug in place against a rubber seal. First patented by Charles de Quillfeldt in 1874, this latter type is still currently in use for some specialty.
Variations on the theme of using an internal ball made from rubber, ebonite or glass were developed and used with varying degrees of success. The ball was held in place by the internal pressure. The most successful of these was patented by Hiram Codd of London. His bottle was widely used in the UK from 1870s until the 1930s. A similar bottle, but with a floating rubber ball acting as seal, was patented in the USA by S. Twitchell in 1883.
The third popular alternative was the internal screw top bottle. Unlike today’s bottle, the thread was on the inside of the bottle neck and an ebonite or wooden stopper screwed on to the neck, with a rubber washer being used to improve the seal. These types of stoppers were in common usage well into the 1950s in the UK. Ebonite, an early type of plastic resin material soon replaced wood, which has a tendency to absorb moisture, causing it to swell and crack the bottle neck.

A major step forward in sealing development was made by William Painter, who in 1895 patented the ‘Crown Cork’, founding the Crown Cork and Seal Company in 1 April 1892. Although initially slow to gain acceptance for two reasons:

The existing large capital investment in returnable bottles and bottling plant, and
The need for a tool to remove the crown, the crown cork eventually became popular, especially for small single serve and beer bottles. Screw stopper retained their popularity for the larger bottles where re-sealability was important.

Except for specialty earthenware ginger beer containers, glass bottles were the only form of packaging for carbonates for over hundred years until the introduction of cans in the 1960s. Then, just as the second half of the nineteenth century had been ‘boom-time’ for product development, the second half of the twentieth century became ‘boom time’ for packaging and distribution of development.
Packaging Evolution

Simple Statistics of Soft Drinks

2009-01-19T02:58:00.000-08:00

Simple Statistics of Soft Drinks
Soft drink is the name commonly given to a nonalcoholic beverage that is consumed cooled or chilled, as opposed to a hot beverage like tea or coffee.

Soft drink fall into several category distinguished by the industry as carbonates still drinks, juices, dilutables and bottles waters.

A carbonate also called a carbonated soft drink is a fizzy drink containing gaseous carbon dioxide, commonly called soda pop in the United States.

Still drinks are noncarbonated soft drinks, and they consist of a plethora of varieties such as fruit drinks, energy and sport drinks, and health beverages, just to name a few.

In the last decade or two, bottled waters have becoame very popular, whether still or carbonated, flavored or nonflavored, with or without natural sugars.

Usually, these are prepared from natural spring waters or from other subterranean water sources and have high mineral contents, either naturally or added during manufacturing.

Dilutables is the name given to concentrated syrups, squashes and cordials that are reconstituted with water by consumers to prepare beverages in ready to drinks (RTD) forms.

The magnitude of the soft drinks industry has a profound impact on the world economy and on our lives in general. For instance a simpler statistic would indicate that each person on earth consumes about 70 liter of soft drinks in a year.

For a family of five persons, this means an annual consumption of 350 liter per family, which in turn, means a purchase of almost 1 liter of soft drink every day of the year.

How about sugar utilization in the soft drinks industry? Sugar makes up about 10% of soft drinks content. This would mean about 40 million ton of sugar used for the global production of soft drinks, this is roughly one third of the global annual sugar production.

And this statistics is not completely true. As sugar has been replaced by other natural sweeteners and other artificial intense sweeteners, such as saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame, etc.
Simple Statistics of Soft Drinks

Softdrinks Processing: Sterilization of Water

2009-01-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

Softdrinks Processing: Sterilization of Water
Free chlorine will be used as the sterilization agent for the water prior to its use in the manufacture of the softdrinks. It is usual to use about 10 ppm of free chlorine for sterilization to ensure that the reaction will reach completion.

Free chlorine may be dosed as chlorine gas but it is usually prepared from sodium hypochlorite solution for safety reasons. In the case where ferrous iron salts are used as the coagulation chemical, free chlorine will be used to oxidize the ferrous salt to ferric salt.

It is usual in this case to dose more than 10 ppm free chlorine into the coagulation tank so the ferrous iron is fully oxidized to the ferric state and so that there is the required excess for sterilization. Where ferric iron is used as the flocculating chemical the residence time in coagulation tank can be included as part of the contact time necessary with free chlorine for sterilization.

In this case the chlorinated water storage tank can be smaller. Free chlorine will not be used as part of the coagulation reactions where aluminum sulphate is used as the flocculating chemical and will generally be dosed after the sand filter, though in some cases chlorine may be dosed into the clarifier to prevent bacterial growth.

Approximately 10 ppm of free chlorine will be dosed into water for sterilization. The reactions that take place will not only destroy bacteria that may be in the water and render it sterile but will also react with other organic molecules that may remain in the water after the clarification reactions.

The residual organics may wary from naturally occurring organic matter to simple organic compounds such as chlorophenols and trihalomethanes that could impart both taste and odor to the final carbonated product. The action of the free chlorine will break down these organic molecules.
Softdrinks Processing: Sterilization of Water

Flavors and Colors of Softdrinks

2008-12-24T01:41:00.000-08:00

Flavors and Colors of Softdrinks
Original carbonates were artificial imitations of naturally occurring mineral waters. Manufactures blended mineral salts in the same proportions as found in the natural spring waters and added carbonated water. A large range of such waters was available during the early 1800s.

Early attempts at producing flavored products were limited by a lack of stable flavoring and spoilage problems. The flavoring materials used consisted mainly of herbal/botanical extracts, for example, ginger, nettle, nutmeg, horehound, lemon oil, vanilla etc., but the technology for manufacture of soluble stable flavoring extracts develop rapidly during the middle of the century with the establishment around this time of many specialty flavor companies.

An early recipe for lemonade consisted of citric acid essential oil of lemon and sugar syrup, the mixture being topped up with water and impregnated with carbon dioxide – instantly recognizable as the forerunner of today’s lemonade.

By the second half of the century, carbonate manufacturers could buy a very comprehensive range of flavors to use in their products and the science of flavor chemistry as well under way. As demonstrated by the development of artificial vanilla by Tiemann and Wallach in 1872. This reduced the cost of vanilla flavor by factor of more than x30.

Many of the popular drinks of today were on sale before 1900. The quantity of CO2 added to a drink has a pronounced effect upon its clear character and flavor impact. The solubility of CO2 in water decreases as temperature increases but increases with increasing pressure, that is, a given level of carbonation will generate a higher pressure as the temperature increases.

Ice cold water (0 degree C) will dissolve 1.7 volumes (3.4 g/l) of CO2 at atmospheric pressure. At CO2 levels and at temperatures above this, increased pressure must be applied to retain the CO2 in solution. In some of his early highly carbonated waters Nicholas Paul used carbonations of up to eight volumes of CO2 (16 g/l): however, the usual carbonation levels now range from about two volumes for a slightly sparkling fruit drinks to around five volumes for a mixer drink such as tonic water.

In the early 1800s, colors were restricted to mainly variants of brown and red that is, those which could be produced from caramel or cochineal. This remained the case until the introduction of synthetic aniline dyes around 1880. In 1885 the manufacturing of some colors from vegetable extracts but that there was a trend for these to be replaced by the new aniline-based dyes, even though these are considered objectionably by many. It also strongly warned manufacturers not to use colors such as arsenic sulphate, lead chromate, mercury sulphate and copper arsenite, which it claimed were sometimes used to color confectionary.
Flavors and Colors of Softdrinks

Healthy Beverages

2008-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Healthy Beverages
It is important to have a variety of health beverages in your diet. Today, there are too many people subsisting on diet sodas, regular sodas, and energy drinks. These consist mostly of artificial sweeteners, artificial flavoring, and caffeine. The body will not perform to peak performance with a steady intake of these types of beverages.

One of our favorite beverages to have in substitute of a soda is orange juice. It tastes good, it is natural, and is readily available. Orange juice provides a good dose of vitamin C. An 8 ounce glass contains as much potassium as a banana. It has a remarkable variety of phytonutrients. Beyond the great vitamin and nutrient content, a study has shown that orange juice can lower your blood pressure.

Another great beverage is apple juice. Fresh apple juice carries a significant amount of Vitamin A and C. The old time saying that an apple a day can keep the doctor away is true. Recent studies have shown that drinking apple juice can help slow down the process that leads to heart disease.

Cranberry juice is another powerful drink that should be added to your diet. Medicinal properties of the cranberry have been recognized for centuries. It provides powerful antioxidant qualities. A common treatment for urinary tract infections is to drink cranberry juice. It is thought that the strong acidic content of the juice provides an inhospitable environment for bacteria.

Beyond the standard juices, you can get a bit more exotic. Mango, pineapple, carrot, wheatgrass, and tomato are all great juices that provide wonderful health benefits. Many companies are now offering smoothies and other freshly made juices. As people become more health conscience, these will become the future of the beverage industry.
Healthy Beverages

Technology Developments of Sweeteners in Softdrinks Manufacturing

2008-12-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

Technology Developments of Sweeteners in Softdrinks Manufacturing
One of the major drivers of growth in carbonates has been the development of sweeteners and consequent improvement in the quality of low calories soft drinks, particularly in the USA and UK.

Saccharin was invented in about 1874 and very rapidly became a popular as a sweetener for softdrinks, usually blended into sugar to reduce cost. It proved to be a popular sweetener in the UK, particularly when sugar was in very short supply during the First World War. A blend of sugar and saccharin (50:50) by sweetness) became the standard sweetener system for common softdrinks, for example lemonade.

Low calorie softdrinks began to gain popularity in the 1960s and a blend of 1 part saccharin to 10 parts cyclamate produced a good tasting low calorie sweetener system. However, the use of sodium cyclamate came to an abrupt end in 1969 when it was banned in the USA and UK due to evidence suggesting that it cause bladder cancer. Cyclamatic was not banned elsewhere and it remained a very popular sweetener until recent severe restrictions in the EU.

The original work was later discredited but it result in saccharin being the only permitted sweetener in the UK and this severely limited the growth of low caloric drinks because of the unpleasantly bitter aftertaste of saccharin when used as a sole sweetener. The growth resumed again in the mid 1980s following the approval of aspartame and acesulfame K in the UK in 1983.

This popularity of low caloric (or light) drinks has been a massive driver of volume growth in the USA and UK, but to a lesser extent in mainland Europe. In the UK, in 1981, the only approximately 4% of the 2040 million liters of carbonates produced was a low calorie. By 2003, low calorie represented 32% of the market 0f 6500 million liters and a further 25% was reduced sugar (usually for reasons of cost).
Technology Developments of Sweeteners in Softdrinks Manufacturing

Caffeinated Beverages

2008-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Caffeinated Beverages
Think caffeine and what’s the first beverage to come to mind? Sure, coffee. Any history of coffee is also going to be a history of caffeine and vice versa. And tea will probably show up somewhere in there as well. Next on the list has got to be the soft drink. And then probably those energy drinks. And that should be it, right. After all, why would there possibly be any need for any other beverage to contain caffeine?

Coffee is the caffeinated beverage of choice for most people in the morning. It’s also the favorite go-to drink at business offices. Apparently, nothing gets the mood moving better than coffee. Nothing provides better proof of coffee’s standing in the western world than the rise of Starbucks. Pretty soon they will officially be on every street corner in America. Watch out world: you’re next!

Although the history of a caffeinated beverage being used primarily for its stimulating effect goes all the way back to tea consumption in China almost three-thousand years before the birth of Christ, most Americans don’t generally think about tea in conjunction with caffeine. That has changed in recent years with the tea industry’s onslaught of information geared to those concerned about the health hazards of caffeine who don’t want to switch to carbonated soda. Even at this late stage, there are many who are confused as to how the caffeine level in tea compares to that of coffee. To set the record straight, tea does contain caffeine and generally speaking it contains less than coffee. However, the actual caffeine content of both coffee and tea varies according to, among other things, the types used and how they are prepared.

Caffeinated soft drinks first began appearing in the late 1800s, but didn’t really explode as a consumer product until the last half of the 20th century. The sheer number of caffeinated soft drinks is astounding and most people have become so used to caffeine content in their favorite soda that they have no problem tasting the difference when provided with a non-caffeinated version. Obviously, the popularity of the soft drinks that contain higher levels of caffeine was the inspiration for the energy drinks that have become so prevalent.

Of course, there may have been another inspiration behind the creation of these beverages as well. Because they aren’t technically considered a carbonated soda, energy drinks aren’t subject to the same FDA limit on caffeine content as soft drinks. Energy drinks are not even required to label their caffeine content, which in most cases far exceeds the FDA limit for soft drinks.

Energy drinks may be the most popular new method for consuming caffeine in a liquid form, but they are far from the only new kids on the block. Perhaps the most unexpected new combination of fluid and caffeine is the idea of jazzing up beer. Although the very idea of mixing the stimulant caffeine with the depressant alcohol has been enough to give rise to any number of easy jokes, is it really any more bewildering than adding the energy jolt of caffeine to the already existing sugar rush of soft drinks?

Probably the strangest caffeinated beverages on the market are the caffeine-infused spring waters. Think about it. There is really no other reason on earth to buy water other than that you are health-conscious. Let’s face it, nobody drinks water for the taste, right? And since caffeine has the potential to adversely affect one’s health if consumed in large amounts, who is drinking this product? Must be somebody because several are still are the market.
Caffeinated Beverages
About author:
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for caffeinezone.com, mylowcarbpages.com, and homemadewine.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_Williger

Water for Softdrinks Manufacturing

2008-11-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Water for Softdrinks Manufacturing
Water is the principal ingredient in carbonated beverage production, and some cases it reaches over 90% of the product. It follows from the fact that beverage manufacturers pay attention to the quality of the water used in their formulation, to ensure that when the product arrives at the consumer it is consistent in taste and appearance and has not deteriorated during storage. Specifications covering both the physical and chemical properties have been developed by the major manufacturers and have been issued to their licensees to ensure that these criteria are achieved at all times.

The public supply in the urbanized areas of the world is acceptable for portable uses, but although it will meet part of the specifications set by softdrinks manufacturers, it will not necessarily meet their specifications fully without treatment, and most manufacturers install water treatment plant in their own factories. Water used from sources other than public supply will certainly require treatment to meet the set specifications.

A uniform and consistent supply of water will improve the operating efficiency of the factory by allowing a constant manufacturing process to be established and so eliminating the need to stop frequently or to alter the manufacturing conditions to meet any changes in water quality.

The actual water treatment process used will depend upon

The source of the water
Any seasonal variations that may be likely
Any seasonal variations that may be likely to affect the product.

The functions of any water-treatment plant will involve all or at least some of the following:

To remove color and suspend particles (including colloids).
To remove organic compounds likely to cause or impart off taste and odors.
To reduce the alkalinity to a set level.
To remove microorganisms and bacteria, by sterilization.
To ensure a consistent product at all times.

Water for Softdrinks Manufacturing

Technology Development of Carbon Dioxide in Softdrinks

2008-10-20T03:54:00.000-07:00

Technology Development of Carbon Dioxide in Softdrinks
It had been recognized by many scientists in the early 1700s that the gas produced by brewery fermentation, combustion of wood and addition of acids to chalk/marble was one and the same. The most economical means of commercial production was by action of sulphuric acid on marble chippings or at the later date, on sodium bicarbonate. Crushed marble was cheap and readily available in a large quantity. However, the purity of the marble was critical to the quality of the CO2. Impurities would cause noticeable ‘off flavor’ in the finished drink. This forced manufacturers to introduce filters and scrubbers to remove taints. Bubbling the CO2 though olive oil was a commonly used method of removing organic taints. The purification of CO2 introduced complexity and hence cost to the production process.

Although more expensive than marble, sodium bicarbonate could be obtained in commercial quantities at consistently high purity and was preferred by some manufacturer. The product of action of sulphuric acid on marble is calcium sulphate, which is insoluble in water. Large quantities of the resulting sludge were difficult to dispose off, particularly when the United Kingdom municipal authorities introduced controls in 1890s. Problems of effluent emissions are not new. The liquefaction of CO2 by means of high pressure was reported by Michael Faraday in 1823 and the first practical manufacturing equipment was patented in Holland in 1877.

The commercial manufacture and use of liquid CO2 for the carbonation of drinks began in Germany and in the United Sates of America in the 1889. The production of solid CO2 was discovered in 1835, and a patent for production and use of solid of CO2 was granted in 1897. The handling and transportation of solid block was much easier than for heavy metal cylinders containing liquid CO2. Though use of liquid or solid CO2 increased in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, it was not until the 1950s that transportation of liquid CO2 by low pressure bulk rood tankers became commonplace.

Production of carbonated drinks was traditionally carried out by means of adding concentrated syrup to the bottle and then topping up with carbonated water. A considerable improvement in speed was achieved on 1937, when the Mojonnier Brothers Corporation of Chicago introduced a continuous blending/cooling/carbonating system.
Technology Development of Carbon Dioxide in Softdrinks

Wellness and Functionality of Softdrinks

2008-10-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wellness and Functionality of Softdrinks
Health issues are already influencing the dynamics of the softdrinks industry, and this influence is likely to become pronounced as time progresses. Bottled water, fruit-based still drinks and fruit juice/nectars have gained volume on the back of an increased understanding of good health. As consumers, they wish to live healthy and die healthy. At the core of this is the concept of wellness – an increasing awareness of physical well-being and good health. Wellness drinks are those beverage that aid health and well being. Consequently, a broad range of products can be said to fit the wellness mould: from bottle water to juice and tea based drinks as well as those with added ingredients to provide an additional functional benefits.

To feel good and healthy has high importance for most consumers. Although broader in scope than functional beverages, wellness drinks span naturally functional and the scientifically enhanced. Functional softdrinks are defined as drinks providing a health benefit beyond their basic nutritional value, by virtue of their physiologically active added components. Drinks providing a health benefits based on their inherent ingredients, such as mineral water, cranberry juice and green tea, can be said to be naturally functional, unless they are fortified with vitamins or other functional ingredients. A distinction can therefore be made between products and functional; by nature (water and orange juice) and those made functional by producers. For functional softdrinks, the term ‘health benefits’ is used in its widest possible application and includes benefits such as improved sports performance, increased mental alertness and better skin. Functional softdrinks can be broken down into four main sectors: enriched beverage (such as juices and waters with added vitamins and minerals); sports drinks; energy drinks; and finally nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals embrace a multitude of specific claims ranging form digestive benefits and detoxification through aphrodisiac, nicotine craving relief, cholesterol lowering and anti-ageing declarations.
Wellness and Functionality of Softdrinks

Softdrinks – General History

2008-09-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

Softdrinks – General History
Naturally occurring carbonated mineral waters have been known for a long time. These effervescent waters exist as a consequence of excess carbon dioxide in an aquifer dissolving under pressure. Although claims for the medicinal properties of these mineral waters have been grossly exaggerated, the presence of carbon dioxide does make aerated waters and softdrinks more palatable and visually attractive; the final product sparkles and foams.

The first non carbonated softdrinks appeared during the seventeenth century. In 1767, Joseph Priestly produced the first man made, palatable carbonated water. Three years later a Swedish chemist, Torbern Bergman invented a process that produced carbonated water from the reaction between chalk and sulphuric acid allowing a commercial production of aerated mineral water.

In 1983, Jacob Schweppes, a young watchmaker and amateur scientist perfected an efficient system for manufacturing carbonated mineral water and founded the Schweppes Company in Geneva. He relocated to London, England in 1790. Since then the addition of flavorings to aerated water has seen the development of major softdrinks brands throughout the world. To meet the need for carbonated softdrinks, the soda fountain was developed by Samuel Fahnestock in the United States in 1819.

The patenting of the Crown cork by William Painter in 1892 and the automatic production of glass bottles using a glass blowing machine by Michael J. Owens in 1899 were notable achievement that at last allowed carbonated softdrinks to be successful bottled without significant loss of carbonation. Since then, development in closure technology, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle production, can design and manufacture, syrup making methods, carbonation technology and filling machine manufacture have led to the worldwide beverage industry as we know it today.
Softdrinks – General History

Cola and Health

2008-09-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Cola and Health
Cola is a caffeine-containing seed, or nut, from a tropical tree, the cola tree. In some African countries, cola nuts are so valuables that they are used as money. The nuts have a bitter, aromatic taste, and people chew them for their stimulating effect. Bottled cola drinks have very little cola nuts in them and do no taste like cola nuts at all. Though they do contain caffeine, it is usually synthetic caffeine or caffeine extracted from coffee or tea. These soft drinks are also drugs, and people can become dependent on them, as with coffee. Also, they contain a lot of sugar.

The combination of sugar and caffeine seems to be especially habit-forming. Many people drink enormous amounts of cola, and thought they may think that they are merely quenching their thirsty, they are also consuming calories and enough sugar to damage their teeth, not to mention large does of caffeine. Like other stimulants, cola drinks are not unhealthy if used in moderation; people who like them should just be aware of their nature and their potential for abuse. Parents especially should remember that so-called softdrinks are actually drugs that can affect the health and mood of their children.
Cola and Health

Bone Fracture and Softdrinks

2008-09-03T01:37:00.000-07:00

Bone Fracture and Softdrinks
Phosphate additives are used as flavor stabilizer in all popular cola beverage sold in the United States. Non cola carbonated beverage use citric acid rather that phosphates for this purpose. Several investigators have suggested that consumption of cola beverages and the associated decline in milk consumption may decrease bone density, particularly in children and young women.

In one study in 2000 from shows that the active teenage girls who drink cola beverages had a fracture risk 4.94 times higher than girls who denied drinking cola beverages, even if those other girls drank non-cola carbonated beverages. This finding appeared to confirm and extend previous findings indicating that consumption of cola beverages predicted high fracture risk in teenage girls. However all the studies relied on questionnaires and self-report: none included any dependent measure of cola beverage consumption or bone density, nor was any attempt made to confirm that girls who believed that they had sustained a broken bone had actually done so.

Researchers have suggested that the increased risk of fracture associated with consumption of cola beverages is not a result of anything in the beverage itself, but is rather due to the displacement of other foods and beverages such as milk.
Bone Fracture and Softdrinks

Nutritional Value of Soft Drinks

2008-08-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

Nutritional Value of Soft Drinks
The nutrition value of soft drinks is sometimes exaggerated by manufacturers who want consumers to perceive their products to be of special benefit. That said, the value of soft drinks must not be understated, because they are an essential vehicle for hydration. Soft drinks are usually absorbed more readily than water (because of their osmolality), can replace lost salts and energy quickly and are rapidly thirst quenching. Their balance of sweetness and acidity, coupled with pleasant flavors, makes them attractive to all ages of consumers. Products are socially formulated to meet the tastes, nutritionally needs and physiologically constraints of the whole population, from babies to geriatrics.

The claims that are legally permitted for soft drinks vary from country to country but for the most part are limited to nutritional claims concerning energy, proteins, vitamins and/or minerals. Any form of medicinal claim (i.e. curative or symptomatic relief) will almost always be excluded by corresponding medicines legislation. There is, nevertheless, a growing trend to include natural extracts in many soft drinks and then rely on the general understanding and folklore that surrounds such ingredients to impart the special values that have been attributed to them.

There are three main areas of particular nutritional significance for soft drinks. The first is energy. Some soft drinks are formulated to deliver a rapidly assimilated energy boosts to the consumer. All carbohydrates are important sources of energy but soft drinks generally contain soluble sugars, which are easy to administer. However, because high levels of sugars are often intensely sweet and even sickly, with a cloying sensation in the mouth, energy drinks are formulated around glucose syrup.

The second area of nutritional significance is that of the so-called isotonic drinks, which are of equivalent osmolality to body fluids. They promote extremely rapid uptake of body salts and water, and are very important products for sports people and other requiring almost instant dehydration.

Third, soft drinks have been widely formulated to low calories forms and for those who wish to enjoy such beverage and yet minimize their caloric intake. Other nutritional benefits that are claimed by some producers include the delivery of essential vitamins and minerals, especially to children.
Nutritional Value of Soft Drinks

Sugar not to blame for kids behaving badly

2008-07-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sugar not to blame for kids behaving badly
A new review of studies investigating the role of sucrose in children's behavior has concluded that it is not the root cause of behavioral problems such as ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD is a common complain particularly prevalent in school children.

The higher the consumption of soft drinks, the more extreme symptoms of hyperactivity were observed.

This is particularly a risk when the possibility that diet affects the behavior of children is discussed, in much of the population, the consumption of sugar and additives compete as the major causes of concern.

Despite being aware that the study did not demonstrate a causal relationship, there was a suggestion that sugar should be a "public health concern”.

There are dozens of foods to which an adverse reaction has been demonstrated, although a reaction to sucrose is less frequent than many other foods.

The second possible mechanism investigated was hypoglycemia. Here, researchers found that in children who have a tendency to develop low blood glucose levels - although not so low as they can be clinically described as hypoglycemic - also have a tendency towards irritability and violence.

But researchers said that sucrose is not the main cause of swings in blood glucose levels. The parents report that their child is distracted and fidgety an hour or so after eating sugary foods, but researchers analysis of the evidence pointed to parents seeing what they expected to see, not what is really happening.

The origin of the idea that sugar is responsible for hyperactivity seems to be purely based on the fact that sugar is a source of energy, as are other carbohydrates.

Researchers also looked at studies into the role of sucrose on micro-nutrient status, since taking supplements of certain micronutrients has been linked to a decrease in anti-social behavior.

Micro-nutrient intake is more closely associated with the total energy rather than sucrose intake.

However despite the indication that sugar may not be contributing to behavioral problems in children, the food industry is still in the midst of a major reformulation of products to reduce levels of nutrients that can have an impact on health.

As well as sugar, such nutrients unhealthy fats and salt.

The main impetus behind the sugar reduction drive is the current obesity crisis. Statistics released by the UK's Department of Health in February 2008 said that in school year one (aged four to five), 22.9 per cent of children were seen to be overweight or obese. By comparison, in year six (aged ten to 11) 31.6 per cent were seen to be overweight.

Excess consumption of salt and unhealthy fats have also been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Sugar not to blame for kids behaving badly
Source: foodnavigator.com

Caffeine the world’s most popular drug

2008-06-16T04:20:00.000-07:00

Caffeine the world’s most popular drug
Caffeine is the world’s most popular drug, easily surpassing nicotine and alcohol. Caffeine is a bitter white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug and a mild diuretic (speeds up urine production) in humans and other animals. It is the only addictive psychotic substance that overcome resistance and disapproval around the world to the extend that it is freely available almost everywhere. Caffeine is sometimes called guaranine when found in guarana, mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea. It is found in the leaves and beans of the coffee plant, in tea, yerba mate, and guarana berries, and in small quantities in cocoa, the kola nut and the Yaupon Holly.

The History
Caffeine was discovered by a German chemist, Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, in 1819. He coined the term "kaffein", a chemical compound in coffee, which in English became caffeine. It was first extracted from coffee in 1821. The world first caffeinated soft drinks were created in the 1880’s. In 1958, caffeine was recognized by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as being Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).

The Effects
Cola is the one of the most popular drinks in the world apart from tea and coffee. They taste and smell different, but all contain significant amounts of caffeine. Many people feel that caffeine increases their mental alertness. Higher doses of caffeine can cause anxiety, dizziness, headaches, and the jitters. Caffeine can also interfere with normal sleep.

For most people, the amount of caffeine in two to four cups of coffee a day is not harmful. However, too much caffeine can make the body restless, anxious and irritable. It may also keep us from sleeping well and cause headaches, abnormal heart rhythms or other problem.

Caffeine may also cause the body to lose calcium, and that can lead to bone loss over time. Drinking caffeine-containing soft drinks and coffee instead of milk can have an even greater impact on bone density and the risk of developing osteoporosis.

Latest research
The latest research shows that there is enough evidence that high consumption of soda and carbonated beverages is associated with somewhat lower bone mass in children, and that’s a real concern and people should be aware of it.

There was also a study that people who don’t consume caffeine on a regular basis; caffeine can cause a temporary but sharp rise in blood pressure. The reason is uncertain, but there is a suggestion that caffeine narrows blood vessels by blocking the effects of adenosine, a hormone that helps keep them widened. Caffeine also can stimulate the adrenal gland to release more cortisol and adrenalin, which cause blood pressure to increase.
Caffeine the world’s most popular drug

Dental Erosion due to soft drinks

2008-05-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Dental Erosion due to soft drinks
Frequently consuming foods with a low pH value, such as soft drinks can lead to irreversible dental erosion. Dental erosion is the break down of tooth structure caused by the effect of acid on the teeth. Dental enamel is the thin, outer layer of hard tissue that helps maintain the tooth's structure and shape while protecting it from decay.

A low pH environment in the mouth helps contribute to dental erosion. pH (potential of hydrogen) is a standard way to measure the acidity of a substance. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14. A lower pH means that a solution contains more acid. The higher the pH, the more alkaline (or non-acidic) the solution will be. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7, which is neutral.

When food or drink that is acidic is consumed the enamel will soften for a short amount of time. Typically, saliva slowly helps to restore the natural balance of the acid found in the mouth. If foods high in acid are consumed on an excessive basis, the mouth can't repair itself and the greater the chance for dental erosion.

The availability of soft drinks increase so does the amount of erosion in the population. The primary action patients can take to decrease their likelihood of erosion is to reduce consumption of soft drinks.

Important acids found in common foods
-- Soft drinks - Phosphoric acid
-- Fruit and fruit products - Citric and malic acids
-- Fermented products (yogurt) - Lactic acid
-- Grapes and wines - Tartaric acid
Expert advised that after drinking of soft drinks

-- Chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva flow
-- Rinse with water for 30 seconds
-- Use a fluoride toothpaste
Dental Erosion due to soft drinks

Soft Drinks - The Drink of Champions?

2008-04-12T23:20:00.000-07:00

Soft Drinks - The Drink of Champions?
One of the most heavily promoted and "coolest" products around are soft drinks. Millions are spent on superstars advertising coke, pepsi and the like. We know they are not healthy but how damaging is that innocent - and many would say satisfying - can of coke to our health?

The current soft drink epidemic
In the U.K. in 2004 nearly 14 billion litres of soft drink were consumed. The 2004 total soft drinks figure represents an increase of 47% over the past ten years.

In Australia soft drink consumption increased by over 30% in the 10 years to 1999. 50% of 16-18 year olds consumed soft drinks every day.

These popular beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States. More than 56.9 billion liters were sold in 2000 - that works out to at least one can per day for every man, woman and child. Soft drink consumption among children and adolescents rose 41% between 1989-1991 and 1994-1995, mostly displacing milk and juice, the leading sources of many vitamins and minerals in the American diet.

The ingredients
One can of soft drink has about:
• 10-13 teaspoons of sugar
• 30 to 55 mg of caffeine
• And additionally it is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites

Physical costs from soft drink ingredients
• Sugar: Soft drink manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, premature aging and numerous other negative side effects including associated tooth disease problems.

• Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause many nervous system reactions including the jitters and insomnia. High caffeine use is associated with high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion that potentially leads to disease.

• Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.

• Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients.

• Benzene: Recent random government testing of soft drinks found five of them contaminated with levels of benzene (which is a cancer-causing chemical linked to leukemia) that exceeded federal standards set for benzene in drinking water. Benzene is able to form in beverages that contain vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and the preservatives sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate.

No doubt soft drinks are one of the main reasons from a nutritionally perspective why many people suffer health problems. Aside from the negative effects of the soda itself, drinking a lot of it is likely to leave you with little appetite for whole foods that your body needs to function at its best.
Soft Drinks - The Drink Of Champions?
By Craig Burton
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Caffeinated drinks

2008-02-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

Caffeinated drinks
Many people drink caffeinated beverages for their "pick me up" benefit, but what they may not realize is that they're trading off their long term health for the short term buzz. Yes, caffeine is a stimulant, but it's also a diuretic which means it takes away water from the body instead of replacing it. Caffeine is also addictive and you may well find yourself needing more and more of it to get the same buzz. Drinking too much caffeine can possibly lead to headaches and anxiety.

Soda is a double whammy. Not only does it have caffeine, but it packs lots of refined sugar. Yes, it will give short bursts of energy but soon feeling tired as the sugar burns off. Will crave more sugar, and the cycle keeps repeating itself.

The very best beverage for our body is water. It depends on body size, but an average adult should drink about 8 (8 oz) glasses of water a day. There are so many health benefits linked to drinking water. There have been many instances when common ailments, such as headaches, have been improved when more water was consumed. Our bodies need water to function smoothly.

Best bet for better health is to wean slowly from caffeinated and sugary drinks and replace these with water. If go to cold turkey it might get a severe headache and be extremely grumpy. It may be better to slowly go from "fully loaded" coffee to "half caff" coffee and then to decaf.

Some people don't like water, but it’s a taste that can be acquired. The more you drink it, the better you will like it. Try it different ways like with ice or with a slice of lemon. Try drinking it through a straw. If like tea then try green tea. It has less caffeine than regular tea or coffee, and it has high amounts of EGCG, which is an antioxidant.
Caffeinated drinks

Diet softdrinks and health risks

2007-12-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

A huge U.S. study of middle-aged adults has found that drinking more than one soft drink a day — even a sugar-free diet brand — may be associated with an elevated risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of factors that significantly boosts the chance of having a heart attack or stroke and developing diabetes.

Scientists found that one or more sodas per day increases risk of new-onset metabolic syndrome by about 45 per cent, and it did not seem to matter if it was regular or diet. That’s what senior investigator for the Framingham Heart Study from Boston said.

Because the corn syrup that sweetens most regular soft drinks can cause weight gain and lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, people would expect to see an association with regular soft drinks — but not diet soft drinks. The findings suggest that this is not the case.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with five specific health indicators: excess abdominal fat; high blood sugar; high triglycerides; low levels of the good cholesterol HDL; and elevated blood pressure.

The study included nearly 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women over four years at three different times. The study looked at how many 355-millilitre cans of cola or other soft drinks a participant consumed each day.

The researchers found that compared to those who drank less than one can per day, subjects who downed one or more soft drinks daily had a:

#31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more).

#30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.

#25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood triglycerides or high blood sugar.

#32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL levels. But the scientists whose study was published Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are unsure what it is about soft drinks that ratchets up the risk of metabolic syndrome. Researchers have found that drinking one or more soft drinks a day — even a sugar-free diet brand — may boost a person's risk of becoming obese.

Scientists don’t know soda consumption may be a marker for a particular dietary pattern or lifestyle. Individuals who drink one or more sodas per day tend to be people who have greater caloric intake. They tend to have more of saturated fats and trans fats in their diet, they tend to be more sedentary, they seem to have lower consumption of fibre." Caramel, used to colour colas, is an ingredient that goes through a chemical reaction that has been shown in studies to "be quite toxic". It's possible that [such products] increase insulin resistance and cause oxidative stress and damage and all the other things we don't want."

Source: Canadian press

Phosphoric acid in Softdrinks

2007-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

According to a report published in the March / April edition of General Dentistry, phosphoric acid in soda causes tooth enamel erosion, even with minimal exposure. While some consumers may believe that sugar is the only culprit of soda's adverse effects on dental health, enamel erosion occurs whether the soda is sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

"Drinking any type of soft drink poses risk to the health of your teeth," said Kenton Ross, a dentist and spokesman for the Academy of General Dentistry.

"My patients are shocked to hear that many of the soft drinks they consume contain nine to 12 teaspoons of sugar, and have an acidity that approaches the level of battery acid," Ross said.

Americans drink more than 50 gallons per capita of carbonated soft drinks each year, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, which tracks beverage consumption in nine areas: bottled water, coffee, fruit beverages, milk, tea, beer, wine, spirits and "CSDs" or carbonated soft drinks. Of the nine, carbonated soft drinks make up the largest segment of beverages consumed. The United States has the highest per-capita CSD consumption in the world.

Soft drinks are infused with phosphoric acid to add a tangy flavor. In nature, this type of flavor can be found in ginger or lemon. Inexpensive and widely available, phosphoric acid is also used in fertilizers and detergents, including industrial cleaners. Even "food grade" thermal phosphoric acid is known to sometimes contain arsenic.

"Phosphoric acid is used in shipyards to remove rust from aircraft carriers and transport ships," explained Mike Adams, author of The Five Soft Drink Monsters, a book that teaches consumers how to beat their addiction to sugary sodas. "Consuming highly acidic substances is not only bad for your teeth but also terrible for bone health and can promote a deterioration of the jawbone, pelvis and femur. Essentially, drinking phosphoric acid dissolves away your skeletal system," Adams said.
Source: www.newstarget.com

Caffeine in Soft Drinks

2007-05-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

Soft Drinks
American drinks more of soft drinks. This popular beverage accounts for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in United States. Soft drinks provides more added sugar, Not only soft drinks widely available every where from fast food to video store, they also sold in 60% of all public and private middle school and high school nationwide. So what is inside the soft drinks? It’s caffeine.

Caffeine is one of the world's most widely used drugs. Caffeine is one of a group of stimulants called methylxanthine, or xanthine that occur naturally in some plants. Beverages made from the nuts, seeds or leaves of these plants are major sources of natural caffeine, such as coffee, made from the Coffee Arabica plant; soft drinks, like Coca Cola, made from Kola nuts; and tea made from the leaves of Thea sinensis. Cocoa, used to make chocolate, contains caffeine as well as theobromine, another xanthine. Caffeine is also used as a food additive regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food and beverage manufacturers are legally required to list caffeine on their products' label only when caffeine has been added.

Caffeine naturally present in other ingredients used in the production process need not be on the label. For example, chocolate contains caffeine, so it may not be listed as an additive in candy bars. People who wish to avoid caffeine need to be aware of such natural, plant sources when making food choices.

Soft drinks have become the favorite caffeine containing beverage in the United States: 12 oz. can of soft drink may contain 30-72 mg of caffeine. Less than 5% of this caffeine is from the kola nut; manufacturers add the other 95%, using the extract obtained from the decaffeination process. The level of caffeine found in a particular brand is consistent from can to can because of strict manufacturing controls. Only those soft drinks containing caffeine will show it as an ingredient on the product label.
Soft Drinks

Softdrinks and Liver

2007-04-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

Softdrinks
Most people probably don’t realize the amount of soda they consume in their lifetime, but with carbonated soft drinks accounting for the number one beverage of choice by Americans, it’s a lot more than you’d think. While a can or two every now and then isn’t necessarily harmful to your health, relying solely on soda for your daily liquid intake can be toxic. The next time you reach for your favorite carbonated beverage, think about the possible ramifications of your drink choice.

Most soft drinks contain a slew of potentially health hazardous ingredients that have proven difficult for the body to process. For someone with liver disease, these kinds of ingredients are public enemy #1; they include high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, caffeine and phosphoric acid. High fructose corn syrup is generally an unhealthy substance, regardless of any pre-existing health condition, and should be avoided or limited whenever possible. Aside from being difficult for the liver to process, when consumed on a consistent basis, high fructose corn syrup can lead to weight gain. Anyone with liver disease knows that a weight increase puts added stress on the liver and can interfere with everyday liver function.

With artificial sweeteners representing a large portion of soft drinks, the liver is working overtime to process these substances and remove them from the body. Caffeine is notably addictive, and has its own possible health consequences that are further exacerbated when liver disease is present.

As the current trend of soft drink consumption is growing at a rapid pace, even a slight decrease in the amount of soda you regularly drink can have a positive effect on your health. Of course, complete elimination of soda from your diet is the best choice for a healthy lifestyle. Especially if you have liver disease, put down that can of soda and reach for a healthier alternative beverage, one without all the unfriendly ingredients that can harm your health.
Softdrinks

The Beginning of Pepsi Cola

2007-02-19T23:32:00.001-08:00

Softdrinks Beverage
The summer of 1898, as usual, was hot and humid in New Bern, North Carolina.So a young pharmacist named Caleb Bradham began experimenting with combinations of spices, juices, and syrups trying to create a refreshing new drink to serve his customers. He succeeded beyond all expectations because he invented the beverage known around the world as Pepsi-Cola.

Caleb Bradham knew that to keep people returning to his pharmacy, he would have to turn it into a gathering place. He did so by concocting his own special beverage, a soft drink.

His creation, a unique mixture of kola nut extract, vanilla and rare oils, became so popular his customers named it "Brad's Drink." Caleb decided to rename it "Pepsi-Cola," and advertised his new soft drink. People responded, and sales of Pepsi-Cola started to grow, convincing him that he should form a company to market the new beverage.

In 1902, he launched the Pepsi-Cola Company in the back room of his pharmacy, and applied to the U.S. Patent Office for a trademark. At first, he mixed the syrup himself and sold it exclusively through soda fountains. But soon Caleb recognized that a greater opportunity existed to bottle Pepsi so that people could drink it anywhere.

The business began to grow, and on June 16, 1903, "Pepsi-Cola" was officially registered with the U.S. Patent Office. That year, Caleb sold 7,968 gallons of syrup, using the theme line "Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion." He also began awarding franchises to bottle Pepsi to independent investors, whose number grew from just two in 1905, in the cities.

Building a strong franchise system was one of Caleb's greatest achievements. Local Pepsi-Cola bottlers, entrepreneurial in spirit and dedicated to the product's success, provided a sturdy foundation. They were the cornerstone of the Pepsi-Cola enterprise. By 1907, the new company was selling more than 100,000 gallons of syrup per year.

Growth was phenomenal, and in 1909 Caleb erected a headquarters so spectacular that the town of New Bern pictured it on a postcard. Famous racing car driver Barney Oldfield endorsed Pepsi in newspaper ads as "A bully drink...refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race."

The previous year, Pepsi had been one of the first companies in the United States to switch from horse-drawn transport to motor vehicles, and Caleb's business expertise captured widespread attention. He was even mentioned as a possible candidate for Governor. A 1913 editorial in the Greensboro Patriot praised him for his "keen and energetic business sense."

Pepsi-Cola enjoyed 17 unbroken years of success. Caleb now promoted Pepsi sales with the slogan, "Drink Pepsi-Cola. It will satisfy you." Then cameWorld War I, and the cost of doing business increased drastically. Sugar prices see sawed between record highs and disastrous lows, and so did the price of producing Pepsi-Cola. Caleb was forced into a series of business gambles just to survive, until finally, after three exhausting years, his luck ran out and he was bankrupted. By 1921, only two plants remained open.

It wasn't until a successful candy manufacturer, Charles G. Guth, appeared on the scene that the future of Pepsi-Cola was assured. Guth was president of Loft Incorporated, a large chain of candy stores and soda fountains along the eastern seaboard. He saw Pepsi-Cola as an opportunity to discontinue an unsatisfactory business relationship with the Coca-Cola Company, and at the same time to add an attractive drawing card to Loft's soda fountains. He was right. After five owners and 15 unprofitable years, Pepsi-Cola was once again a thriving national brand.

Softdrinks Beverage

Coca-Cola

2007-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Softdrinks
Coca-Cola (also known as Coke, a name that was trademarked by The Coca-Cola Company after it was discovered many people called it by that particular name) is a very popular cola (a carbonated soft drink) sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO), which is also often referred to as simply Coca-Cola or Coke. Coke is one of the world's most recognizable and widely sold commercial brands; its major rival is Pepsi.

Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century; Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft drink market throughout the 20th century. Although faced with critiques of its health effects and various allegations of wrongdoing by the company, Coca-Cola has remained a popular soft drink to the present day.

The company actually produces concentrate for Coca-Cola, which is then sold to various Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially-exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola in cans and bottles to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the single largest Coca-Cola bottler in North America and Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for fountain sales to major restaurants and food service distributors.

The Coca-Cola Company has on occasion introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most famous of these is Diet Coke, which has become a major diet cola but others exist, such as Cherry Coke, Coke Zero, and Vanilla Coke. There are also some drinks marketed by the company but which remain unaffiliated with Coca-Cola the drink, such as Sprite.
Source: Wikipedia
Softdrinks

Soft drinks and bone density in older women

2006-12-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

Softdrinks
There is reason to believe that soft drinks may cause greater loss of bone minerals in older women than occurs with age alone. A large epidemiological study of over 1000 women and 1000 men examined this issue.

In women, but not men, greater intake of cola drinks, but not other kinds, was associated with significantly lower hip bone density. This was regardless of whether the cola was normal, decaffeinated or "diet".

The mechanism is not clear, but it may be related to the high acidity of such drinks and possibly their high content of phosphoric acid.

This sounds like another good reason to minimise or avoid drinking these soft drinks for women who have concerns about osteoporosis. The contribution of sugar-sweetened soft drinks to excessive weight gain in some young people is already well established.
Softdrinks

Low sugar soft drinks can improve young people's diets

2006-11-16T05:52:00.000-08:00

Low sugar soft drinks can improve young people's diets
The recent publication of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of young people (aged 4 - 18 years) in the United Kingdom has given all of those interested in food, health and diet a new databank of statistics to analyse and interpret. Undertaken as part of a programme which will cover all age groups, this survey provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the dietary habits, nutrient intakes and nutritional status of British young people.

At a time when childhood obesity, dietary disorders and the quality of childrens' diet receive widespread media coverage, it is perhaps some comfort to know that few British children are likely to suffer from the quantity or content of their diet. Of far more concern is the fact that they are getting far too little exercise, particularly once they reach their teens.

Of course, the key issue is the balance of the diet, rather than simply the amount of energy consumed, and it is here that the survey provides some very interesting findings.

Boys derived 51.6% of their energy intake from carbohydrates while girls get 51.1% of their energy intake from this source. However the nature of these carbohydrates leaves room for some improvement. Simple sugars (NMES - Non-Milk Extrinsic Sugars) accounted for 16.7% of energy intake for boys and 16.4% for girls - this exceeds the recommended average of 11% set by COMA (Committee for Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy). The main source of NMES intake is carbonated soft drinks which account for almost a quarter of NMES in older boys and girls. A switch to low or no sugar soft drinks could have a significant impact, not least on the incidence of dental caries.

Carbonated soft drinks are by far the most popular beverages among young people, with full sugar products consumed by three quarters of the survey sample, though market figures show that juice drinks are gaining significant 'share of throat'. New low and no sugar products in the soft drink sector provide the opportunity to reduce extrinsic sugars without compromising on taste, which is very important in gaining product acceptance among children and teenagers.

For example, Britvic's new Juice Up in Smooth Orange, Sunshine Tropical and Cool Berry Flavours contains 17% fruit juice, 8% skimmed milk and 17% of the RDA for calcium (per 200ml). But it contains no added sugar and is sweetened with aspartame.
Softdrinks

Softdrinks and kids

2006-11-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

Softdrinks
Here's a big surprise ... the consumption of soft drinks is associated with obesity in children.
Now while that fact might not make the earth move for you, what a group of American researchers have done is quantify the effect.

It's important because the numbers of fat children are increasing significantly each year.They followed nearly 600 12-year-olds for a couple of years, monitoring their intake of various foods and their weight and height.

Over two years, there was a 10 per cent increase in the level of fatness of the children - quite dramatic really in a short period.

And when they controlled for television viewing (a well-known factor in childhood obesity), physical activity and other dietary factors, soft drinks by themselves added extra risk for obesity.

For every additional glass of sugar-sweetened drink per day, the risk of obesity rose by 60 per cent, and those children with a high intake at the beginning of the study were those at greatest risk.Changing the children over to diet drinks reduced the chances of obesity by over a half.

While the researchers were loathe to firmly say there was a cause-and-effect link here, they did feel that this was a dietary factor which something could be done about fairly easily.

And with the booming epidemic in adult diabetes, tied back to childhood obesity, we need to do what we can to keep our kids' weight down without scaring them into anorexia.

Most experts say the best techniques are to increase exercise, reduce television viewing and probably reduce time at computers - and now perhaps replacing sugar-loaded drinks with diet products.
Source: abc.net.au
Softdrinks

Toxin in your drinks

2006-10-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

People are always reminded to refrain from consuming too much sodas and softdrinks because they contain lots of sugar and can cause tooth decay. But never because they contain benzene.

Benzene is a byproduct and chemical present in the atmosphere where there is presence of concentrated chemical pollutants. Benzene presence in softdrinks had been confirmed by a team of doctors in a research facility in Australia. This now posed a new barrage of health and medical concerns and debates.

A spokesperson from the FSANZ (Australia's food board) confirmed benzene presence of the said substance and proceeded to outline and allay the health and medical fears the results posed.

According to the FSANZ, benzene is formed when the ascorbic acid in the beverage reacts with the food additives used for the soda. However, the resulting benzene is very low and at negligible amounts.

The agency also eliminated the risk of poisoning and health problems that could be caused by benzene presence. FSANZ asserted that a person would have to consume over 20 liters of softdrink to reach the amount taken in from polluted air. But they also emphasized that benzene, in any form, is undesirable in food and drinks.

The agency also assured the public that they are indeed working with softdrink manufacturers to further reduce the amount of possible benzene formation.

Despite the assurance of the FSANZ, a toxic specialist, Kathy Hughes expressed disappointment over the response of the FSANZ. According to her, it does not matter whether the benzene concentration is negligible or not, but the fact that it is in there and it is significant enough to be detected, should alert health and medical professionals.

It is also imperative that consumption of softdrinks found with benzene should be stopped or else limited to adults since benzene can stunt the growth of the mental and physical faculties of children.

She also stressed the significance of the surprising result of the combination of two relatively harmless substances: additives and ascorbic acid. She asserted that if two harmless and common substances used in food preparation resulted in a toxin, there could be much worse amounts in products that used the substances in higher concentrations.

She called on to the FSANZ to reinforce more stringent measures not only on the finished products, but also on the substances used to make them. This is important to detect and stop possible toxin formation.

Lastly, perhaps it is better to limit intake of processed foods and beverages to ensure that less chemicals enter and pollute the body systems.

Food safety should be a top priority for consumers and manufacturers alike. It is also wise to act on anything that raise health and medical problems immediately to avoid further complications.
Source:articlehub
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