Water
Water is the major ingredient in all soft drinks. It represents
at least 86% of a carbonated drink, 90% of a fruit juice and 100%
of a bottled water. The majority of the water used in soft drinks
production comes from mains water companies provide the. However,
some soft drinks may use spring water or natural mineral water to
produce some of their products. This is indicated on the product's
label.
If mains water is used, it must undergo further treatment before
it can be used for soft drinks production.This is because the water
in a soft drink functions as the solvent for all the other
ingredients, therefore its quality and consistency is of prime
importance. It should be neutral in taste and colour, free of any
harmful constituents and in accordance with each individual
manufacturer's specifications. Within these parameters it is
possible to produce a soft drink which is consistent in appearance
and taste and which will not deteriorate when stored.
There are various methods of water treatment available, such as
coagulation, ion-exchange, reverse osmosis, chlorination and
filtration. Coagulation is the most commonly used form of treatment
but due to economies of space and efforts to maintain an easily
automated plant, ion-exchange is also showing itself to be a very
adaptable and popular process.
However due to the variety of impurities which can affect the
end product, the functions of any water treatment process will
involve all or at least some of the following:
| Impurity |
Effect on a soft drink |
Suitable treatment |
| Colours or suspended solids |
Foaming when trying to fill the product. Loss of
carbonation. Visible particles or off colours |
Coagulation, chlorination and filtration |
| Organic matter |
Off-tastes and odours. Deposits or neck rings in
product. |
Coagulation and chlorination |
| Alkalinity |
Neutralises the drink's acidity. Affects taste |
Coagulation, filtration and de-alkalinisation through ion
exchange or reverse osmosis |
| Bacteria or micro-organisms |
Spoilage of product including off-tastes and poor
appearance |
Chlorination or UV irradiation |