Soft Drink Components

Soft Drink Components Component Function Typical Use Level Water Sugars Carbon Dioxide Acids Flavours Juices Colouring Preservative Foaming Agent Hydrocolloids Cloudifiers Vitamins/Mineral/ Fibre up to 95% 7-14% 0-0.70% 0.05-0.35% 0.05-0.50% 0-20% 0-200 ppm 0-400 ppm 0-200 ppm 0-0.25% 0-0.1% variable Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 1

Relative Sweetness of Sweeteners Sugar Index Sucrose 100 Dextrose (glucose) 70-80 Levulose (fructose) 140 70-DE corn syrup 70-75 High conversion corn syrup 65 Regular conversion corn syrup 50 Maltose 30-50 Lactose 20 High fructose corn syrup 90% 120-160 55% >100 42% 100 Invert sugar >100 Sorbitol 50 Xylitol 100 Artificial Sweeteners Sucrose = 1 Aspartame 100-200 Saccharin 400-500 Cyclamate 40-50 Thaumatim 2000-2500 Acesulfame K 200 Sucralose 600 Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 2

Relative amounts of acid to produce an equal acidic taste: Citric 100 Tartaric 100 Phosphoric 90 Lactic 125 Malic 80 Acidity levels in Fruit Juices Average as Citric w/w Orange 0.9 Lemon 7.0 Lime 6.0 Grapefruit 1.5 Apple 0.5-0.75 Pineapple 0.6 Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 3

Soft drinks and Flavours FLAVOURS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS FOR SOFT DRINKS Comment [TP1]: Soft drinks are consummed mostly for pleasure, but may also have functional uses and be designed to replace salts lost during exercise, to supply vitamens and other nutrients. TABLE 1: Components of a soft drink Component water sugars carbon dioxide acids flavours juices colouring preservative foaming agent hydrocolloids cloudifiers vitamins/mineral/fibre Typical use level up to 95% 7-14% 0-0.70% 0.05-0.35% 0.05-0.50% 0-20% 0-200 ppm 0-400 ppm 0-200 ppm 0-0.25% 0-0.1% variable Water used in the beverage industry has to be treated to remove undesirable substances and to control the alkalinity. A drink made from untreated water or water of poor quality would result in off tastes in the finished beverage. Carbon dioxide is added to most soft drinks. Carbon dioxide dissolves readily in cold water under pressure and gives a sparkling appearance to the drink when poured. It also enhances the flavour and gives a pleasant refreshing 'lift' to the drink. Carbon dioxide also contributes to the inhibition of micro-organisms, particularly at higher carbonation volume. Some products such as Cola beverages do not need the addition of preservative. The spice oils, low ph, lack of nutrients and the high carbonation are preservative enough. Flavour is an essential component in all soft drinks. Without the addition of a flavouring most drinks would taste like sweetned acidified water! From a leglislation point of view, flavourings come in three forms:- (1) natural (extracts and volatile oils) (2) Nature identical flavours.( produced synthetically but are identical to naturally occurring chemicals. (3) synthetic flavourings which have not been found to occur naturally. There exists a fourth catogery called "WONF" (With Other Natural Flavourings). This mainly is used in the USA but some other countries adapt this classification for natural flavours. All the materials used in these flavours come from a natural source but not the named fruit. Thus orange WONF could have some mandarin oil added or some natural citral. The creation of new flavourings is a highly skilled job and the flavourist has at his disposal over 3000 individual flavouring ingredients. A typical flavour can consist of over 20 Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 4

individual ingredients dispersed in a solvent or homogenised into an emulsion. By far the greatest group of flavourings used in citrus beverages are natural materials obtained by extraction or distillation from the citrus peel-which is usually pressed to obtain the essential oil, or extracted with alcohol to obtain the oil plus other flavour ingredients. Juice oils which come from juice concentration are now used to give a more juicy taste. This oil can be used in beverages by three different techniques (refer pages 6 & 7). Fruit juices vary greatly in intensity of flavour. Orange juice, for example, has only one-tenth the flavour impact of passionfruit juice. Juices are usually concentrated six to ten times at the point of processing. This reduces storage space, particularly if they are to be refrigerated, and transportation costs to the market place. In concentrating, some if not all of the volatile flavours are lost, hence the need to add back flavours. Juices give a flavour profile to drinks which is difficult to obtain otherwise, and also add to the appearance and mouth feel. They also satisfy the consumer demand for health giving properties in a drink. Colouring influences the taster's reception of the drink. We taste with our eyes. The colour properties can be affected by many of the beverage ingredients and good storage stability is required in the presence of acids and preservatives. The colour must also be stable in the presence of light. There are two main classes of beverage colouring - natural/nature identical colours and artificial colourings. Commonly used synthetic colours in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, UK, USA are: Ponceau 4A All above except USA Carmosau All above except Indonesia & USA Amaranth All above except Malaysia, Thailand & USA Tartrazine All above Brown HT Australia and Malaysia Sunset Yellow All above Quinolene Yellow Indonesia, Hong Kong, UK only Brilliant Blue All above Indo carmine All above Green S All above except Malaysia, Thailand, Japan & USA Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 5

SUGAR PROFILES AND CHARACTERISTICS FOR JUICE CONCENTRATES The major components of fruit juice concentrates are sugars, followed by water, nutrients, acids, colour pigments and flavour components. These sugars are a natural source of sweetness and perform as functional ingredients in a wide variety of applications. THE PREDOMINANT SUGARS ARE: FRUCTOSE is a reducing sugar frequently found in fruits. It provides about 30% more sweetness than sucrose and has excellent moisturising properties due to its humectant nature. GLUCOSE is also a reducing sugar frequently found in fruits and is about 20% less sweet than sucrose. Glucose crystallises readily in concentrate solutions and provides less humectant properties than fructose. SUCROSE is a disaccharide and a non-reducing sugar. It has been established as the standard for measuring sweetness. Upon inversion in acidic solutions, sucrose converts to fructose and glucose. SORBITOL is a polyhydroxyl sugar alcohol, less sweet than sucrose, with a pleasing cool taste. It also provides humectancy. FRUIT SUGAR PROFILES % COMPOSITION FRUCTOSE GLUCOSE SUCROSE SORBITOL Apple 62 31 5 2 Peach 25 25 50 0 Pear 60 20 5 15 White Grape 48 48 4 0 Pineapple 15 25 50 0 Orange 49 49 2 0 Sweeteners. There are two main groups of sweeteners used in the beverage industry - carbohydrates (sugars) and artificial sweeteners. Sugar enhances the taste of a drink, gives it body and improves its mouthfeel. The sugars that are used in the beverage industry include sucrose, fructose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup and maltose. Of these the most commonly used is sucrose in the form of granulated white sugar, and high fructose corn syrup, a liquid, which is slightly cheaper than sucrose. Sucrose breaks down into fructose and glucose under the action of acid, time and temperature. Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 6

Artificial sweeteners are high intensity sweeteners which are usually a few hundred times sweeter than sugar. The most commonly used intense sweeteners in soft drinks are aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin and stevioside. They are usually used in low calorie and dietetic drinks. However, in some countries, such as Indonesia, where the price of sugar is comparatively high, intense sweeteners are used in some of the syrup products to reduce cost. However mouthfeel or "body" is lacking in a drink when artificial sweeteners are used solely, and thickeners in some form are usually added. Aspartame is hydrolysed by acid beverages and looses it sweetening power with time. Relative Sweetness of Sweeteners Sugar Index Sucrose 100 Dextrose (glucose) 70-80 Levulose (fructose) 140 70-DE corn syrup 70-75 High conversion corn syrup 65 Regular conversion corn syrup 50 Maltose 30-50 Lactose 20 High fructose corn syrup 90% 120-160 55% >100 42% 100 Invert sugar >100 Sorbitol 50 Xylitol 100 Artificial Sweeteners Sucrose = 1 Aspartame 100-200 Saccharin 400-500 Cyclamate 40-50 Thaumatim 2000-2500 Acesulfame K 200 Acidulants play a key role in soft drink formulation. The balance of sugar-to-acid ratio is very important, as an unbalanced sugar-acid ratio can easily spoil the taste of a drink. The type of acid used in soft drink formulation can affect the palatability of a product. The acids widely used in beverage formulation include citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid and ascorbic acid. Citric acid is found in all fruits and is the most frequently used acid in fruit flavoured soft drinks. Malic acid is commonly used in apple and citrus drinks and its use is price driven. Phosphoric acid is the only inorganic acid that is widely used in food and is universally used in cola drinks. Lactic acid is used in lactic acid drinks, a new product that is popular in north-east Asia. Ascorbic acid, better known as vitamin C, is used mainly for vitamin enrichment or an antioxidant rather than as an acidulant. Tartaric acid is used in ginger ale and found naturally in wine. Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 7

Relative amounts of acid to produce an equal acidic taste: Citric 100 Tartaric 100 Phosphoric 90 Lactic 125 Malic 80 Acidity levels in Fruit Juices Average as Citric w/w Orange 0.9 Lemon 7.0 Lime 6.0 Grapefruit 1.5 Apple 0.5-0.75 Pineapple 0.6 Preservatives are used to inhibit or retard the growth of micro-organisms to prevent spoilage. One should be aware that they can only inhibit foodborne bacteria, so good quality raw materials and hygienic manufacturing practices are still very important. The specific type and level of preservative used depend on the food regulations of each individual country and the nature of the product. Four types of preservatives - benzoic acid, sulphur dioxide, sorbic acid and parabens - are used in soft drink manufacturing. Sulphur dioxide used in the form of sodium metabisulphite is used in some soft drink formulations, But its drawback is its characteristic odour, its ability to bleach the colour and change the flavour of citrus drinks by reacting with the aldehydes. Also some people may develop allergic responses to it, such as coughing. Benzoic acid is most frequently used in soft drink production but it is only effective at low ph. Due to its low water solubility, it is added in the form of its sodium salt. Similarly sorbic acid is added as its potassium salt, but is also affected by increasing ph. These preservatives are best used in conjunction with one another as together there is a mild synergistic effect. Citrus oils play "preservatives" roles in some drinks. Small levels of d-limonene (50 ppm) can inhibit the growth of lactobacillus. Parabens - the methyl, ethyl and propyl para hydroxy benzoic acids - are permitted in some countries for use in soft drinks but are not allowed in Australia. The inhibition activity of parabens is not as affected by increased ph as other preservatives are. Certain processing and packaging methods are able to eliminate the use of preservatives, e.g. UHT process with aseptic packaging. CARBONATED WATER ALSO PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN PRESERVING SOFT DRINKS. Functional Drinks Vitamins and minerals are usually added to "functional drinks" which contain specific benefits and functional properties. Vitamins are categorised into two main groups, water soluble and oil soluble vitamins. The former group includes vitamins B and C, while the latter group consists of vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin addition is not new in the beverage industry. Many beverages, especially fruit drinks, are enriched with vitamin C. But soft drink manufacturers usually do not emphasise this on the label unless the quantity is large. Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 8

Beta carotene and apo carotenal coloured drinks do give vitamin A as these so called natural colours break down into Vitamin A when digested. Vitamins of the 'B' group are used in energy drinks. Vitamin drinks which contain up to ten types of vitamins are available on the market, but they are usually marketed as pharmaceutical products. Mineral salts such as sodium chloride, sodium citrate and magnesium sulphate are usually used in electrolyte or isotonic drinks to replenish the minerals lost in sweat during perspiration. These drinks were basically formulated to replenish fluids lost during physical exercises. Thickeners are used in soft drink formulation to improve the mouthfeel, particularly with artificial sweeteners, and sometimes to stabilise the product. The common thickeners in drinks include carrageenan, alginates, carboxy methyl cellulose, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, guar gum and pectin. Foaming agents create fine creamy foam on the surface of a drink when it is dispensed as in Creaming Soda beverages. The most widely used foaming agent is saponin, but this should not be used in conjunction with caramel as a precipitate is formed. Cloudifiers are used to give a homogeneous cloud. The nature of a cloudifier is similar to that of a flavour emulsion, that is it is an oil in water emulsion except that it is not used to impart flavour to a finished drink. SAIB and Ester Gum are what is called weighting agents and are a vital component of most clouding agents. These are permitted in some countries but not others. Ester gum is not allowed in Australia. Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 9

Some ways of adding citrus oils to beverages Distillation The citrus oil can be distilled to remove all of the insoluble terpenes and leave the flavourful oxygenated terpenoid compounds. Such terpeneless oils can be dissolved in the beverage at quite low doses. Flavourings based on these oils do tend to be flat and lack the juicy character of the fruit. This is because the terpenes are an integral part of the flavour profile of most citrus flavours. Extraction This is probably the most widely used method of using citrus oils in clear beverages. The oil is gently mixed (washed) with a mixture of solvent and water to extract the oxygenated (flavourcontaining) compounds from the insoluble terpenes. The percentage of water and the extraction temperature control the solubility of the extracted flavouring. Common solvents used are either ethanol or propylene glycol, the latter being used for "halal" flavours. As the extraction process is usually carried out at low temperatures, the delicate flavour compounds are not lost. Techniques to improve their stability include packing with an inert nitrogen atmosphere, the addition of anti-oxidants such as the tocopherols or BHT/BHA, and using packaging which is resistant to light and oxygen. Emulsification In this method, the citrus oil is mixed with a weighting agent and flavours are homogenised under positive pressure with a water phase which may also contain colour, gums, preservative or other water soluble food additives. The main use of emulsion in beverages is to provide a cloudy effect. Emulsions are also widely used for cola beverages which have a high level of citrus and spice oils. In addition to citrus oils, a wide range of flavour ingredients are used to produce soft-fruit, tropical fruits, root beer and cream soda flavours. Most of the ingredients used are either natural or nature identical. Skilful blending can create a whole range of flavour profiles for any specific flavour type. For instance, a lime flavour can be made more "peely" or "juicy", as well as given the characteristic taste of local southeast Asian varieties such a calamansi. The variety of different flavour types in East Asia is large. For carbonated beverages, the three most popular are cola, lemon/lime and orange. Sarsi a type of sarsaparilla, Root beer and cream soda are popular in southeast Asia while grape, apple and roasted barley are more popular in northeast Asia. Corn and malt are popular in Taiwan in milk drinks. For non-carbonated beverages, in northeast Asia, canned coffee and tea drinks (both containing real coffee and tea, sometimes augmented with flavour) are rather popular. In southeast Asia, the herbal/floral teas are more popular together with soya bean and various tropical fruits, as well as orange. Soft drinks and flavours ARP 1995 10