Crown cork: History and description

In the late 19th century, one problem was acute for the bottling industry. The bottle caps (“stoppers,” as they then were called) usually leaked or were not tight enough to hold the carbonation gas. Some stoppers were made from metals which interacted with the contents of the bottle, causing changes in their color and flavor.

The shelf-life of soft drinks is determined by the CO2 level, which decreases due to permeation through the packaging material. Therefore, most of the responsibility in the shelf-life extension of such products has to be attributed to the bottle material performances, such as the ability to maintain the internal CO2 through the shelf-life, that is, in other words, its barrier property to CO2.

From the beginning a successful drink depended on retaining the gas in the liquid and Thomas Henry a Manchester apothecary recommended that all bottles be very closely corked and sealed.

Traditionally, beverages have been packaged in glass containers capped with a natural or plastic cork to limit oxygen intake and preserve the organoleptic quality of the beverage.

The crown cork evolved from the natural cork stopper. Cork stoppers were effective closures but did not meet the need to be applied at speed. The automatic production of glass bottles was perfected in the USA in 1903. This provided bottles with uniform dimensions at the neck that could take a standard closure. William Painter had already filed US Patent 468226 in 1892 for the 'crown closure'. Painter's crown was lined with cork and characteristically had corrugations in the 'skirt'.

Crown cork are items made from tinned metal used to fit on top of beverage bottles to seal and lock the contents of the bottle from being easily opened and for preventing any item from escaping out or from entering into the bottle .The crown cork is made from tinned metals with the interior part in contact with the contents of the bottle being covered off by a plastic disc.

For many years virtually all carbonated soft drinks were packaged in glass bottles sealed with crown cork. This closure has short skirt with 21 flutes which are crimped onto locking position on the bottle head. The flutes are angled at 15° in order or maintain an efficient seal.
Crown cork: History and description 

Packaging for soft drinks: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle

Since the 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.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are a very popular pack type for carbonated soft drinks. Peanut butter, salad dressing and other household and consumer precuts are also package in PET bottles.

PET bottles have also replace PVC bottles that are often use in the packaging of mineral water. The bottle is manufacture in a two stage process. PET granules are melted and injected at high pressure into perform moulds.

The pre-forms can then be warmed and stretched and blown with compressed air into a mould to give a finished single piece bottle of the desired size.

PET packaging has allowed drinks companies to move into in-house bottle production, and to operate more independently from packaging manufacturers.

PET bottles have good gas barrier properties and are lightweight. Once filled with a carbonated drink the bottles become very strong and rigid.

Most PET bottles used are one-way or non-returnable containers. An improvement in PET bottles has led to the designing of refillable bottles.
Packaging for soft drinks: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle

Sugary soft drinks associated with weight gain

Sugary soft drinks are the leading source of added sugars in the United States; cakes, cookies, pies and other baked goods comes next, sweetened fruit drinks and punches follow closely behind.

In 2008, 14.4 billion gallons of carbonated soft drink were sold in the United States, which is the equivalent to approximately 507 cans for every man, woman and child.

Soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup such as colas an fruit drinks are the primary source of sugar in the typical Americans diet.

A growing body of literature suggests that the regular use of sugary drinks is associated with weight gain and obesity. Normally when soft drink consumption is increased people do not compensate for the increased calorie intake (i.e do not reduce their remaining diet).

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2004 examined the association between consumption of sugar –sweetened beverages and weight change. It involved 51,603 women and concluded that sugar sweetened beverages is associated with a great magnitude of weight gain.

For people consuming 2,200 calories per day, the USDA Food Guide suggest about 9 teaspoon of sugar in the context of a nutrient-dense diet.
Sugary soft drinks associated with weight gain

Water for soft drinks

The main component of softdrink is water. Regular soft drink contain 90% water while diet soft drinks contain up to 99% water. 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.

It is very important to provide consistent water quality at all times without going over the top in terms of system sophistication. It is important to minimize risk at all time. In the simplest terms, all water used for soft drinks must be free from micro-organisms, taints and odors, clear and colorless and especially if it is to be carbonated, free from dissolved oxygen.

Many soft drink plants have their own private water supply and the water from such sources may or may not be of suitable quality.

At each production site the treated water should be tested for conductivity, turbidity, microbiological level, taste, odor and appearance, alkalinity and free chlorine.

In addition, the incoming raw water should be tested daily for turbidity and microbiological levels. The ideal specification for a soft drink can probably be determined by reference to its microbiological contaminants but especially coliforms as evidence of faecal contamination, Crystosporidium and Giarda.

It would also be free from toxic substances such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, herbicides, dioxins, etc.
Water for soft drinks

Benzene in soft drink

When benzoic acid and ascorbic acid are used in the same product, manufacturers must be aware of a possible interaction which can result in the formation of benzene.

Benzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon compound used extensively in the chemical industry as an intermediate in the manufacture of polymers and other products.

It is a byproduct and also a common atmospheric contaminant.  It can cause leukemia at high levels of consumption. It occurs naturally in some foods like meat, eggs and bananas.

Benzene was discovered by USA soft drink industry in 1990 that benzene could be produced at low levels in certain soft drinks. Benzene can form in beverages containing benzoate salts and either vitamin C or erythorbic acid, a relate substance, if certain minerals are present.

The FDA worked with manufacturers at that time to reformulate their beverages so that the drinks would not pose a safety risk.

According to the researchers, 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.

Ascorbic acid is readily oxidized by dissolved oxygen. This reaction is catalyzed by iron and copper ions and produces hydroxyl radicals, which can react with benzoic acid, converting it to benzene.
Benzene in soft drink

Sugar in soft drink

After water quality, sweetness is probably the most important feature of a soft drink.

Estimates are that each man, woman and child in the United States consumes over 100 pounds of sugar per year, or a little less than 2 pounds per week.

The sweeteners used in soft drinks can be divided into main categories: natural sweeteners and artificial sweetener.

Sucrose is among the most common natural sweeteners used in soft drinks. Also approved are dextrose, invert sugar, fructose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and glucose syrup.

The artificial sweetener aspartame is used extensively in diet soft drink.

A high concentration of sugars provides a degree of protection from spoilage organisms, growth of which is inhibited at higher Brix levels.

Carbohydrate syrups at the normal commercial strengths of 67-74° Brix are microbiological stable due to the high concentrations of sugars and resultant low water activity.

Sugar and sugar substitutes contribute the sweetness necessary to balance the various ingredients, give body and mouth feel and also act as carriers to distribute the flavor components uniformly through the drinks.
Sugar in soft drink

Water in Soft drink

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

Definition of Soft Drinks

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

Soft Drink and Detractors

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

Healthy Beverages

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

Caffeinated Beverages

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

Soft Drinks - The Drink of Champions?

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

Soft drinks and bone density in older women

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