The pasteurization process helps protect the general population from harmful foodborne illnesses that can be a problem for bottlers. Because heat destroys bacteria, it’s easy to use it to deactivate bacteria in a liquid. Pasteurization extends the shelf life of carbonated beverages by removing microbes that cause them to ferment or deteriorate in other ways. This is especially important in beverages such as sodas which have high amounts of sugar.
The basis of soft drinks, the syrup, is made up of water, sugar, acid, colouring and flavouring agents. This syrup is prepared by dissolving these ingredients into water to 65°Brix. Syrup will typically be between 15% and 20% of the final volume and will frequently be subjected to pasteurisation before dilution. The syrup may be sterilized while in the tanks, using ultraviolet radiation or flash pasteurization.
Flash pasteurisation involves the use of a heat exchanger to rapidly raise a stream of product to a temperature between about 85° and 95 °C for a period of around 15–20 s followed by a rapid cooling. This temperature is sufficient to kill off all living, vegetative cells. Only the spores, a survival mode for a number of species of microorganisms, may still be left behind. As long as the pH is lower than 4.6, they cannot develop into vegetative cells, which can grow further.
Pasteurization process of soft drinks
