1. Definition and Classification of Beverages

2. Production Process Flow of Carbonated Drinks

2.1 Key Control Points in Carbonated Drink Production

• Water Quality and Syrup: The water must be softened and sterilized, with a hardness ≤ 50mg/L. The syrup Brix needs to be accurately controlled within a deviation of ±0.1°, and the feeding sequence and hygiene are the basis for stable flavor.
• Carbonation: The core is low temperature (0-4℃) and stable pressure. Precisely control the CO₂ pressure to ensure stable gas content (e.g., 3.5-4.0 Vol), preventing inconsistent taste or “flash evaporation”.
• Filling and Sealing: Isobaric filling is adopted to prevent bottle explosion and CO₂ loss. Strictly monitor the capping torque and sealing performance, which is the final barrier to prevent air leakage and microbial contamination.

2.2 Flavoring Timing for Carbonated Drinks

• Flavoring Process: Flavoring is carried out during the blending and mixing process.
• Temperature Control: The mixing temperature is controlled below 20℃ to reduce flavor volatilization and microbial growth.
• Flavoring Timing: Pay attention to the feeding sequence, which is usually: sugar/sweetener → preservative → acidulant → flavor → pigment → add water to constant volume, and stir thoroughly to mix evenly. Incorrect sequence may cause reactions between components to produce precipitation (e.g., reaction between acidulant and sodium benzoate to form benzoic acid precipitation).

3. Production Process Flow of Fruit Juice Drinks

3.1 Key Control Points in Fruit Juice Drink Production

• Raw Material Quality: Strictly control the freshness and microbial indicators of base materials such as concentrated fruit juice.
• Sterilization Process: Precisely control the sterilization temperature and time (e.g., 95℃/30s) to ensure commercial sterility.
• Filling and Sealing: Ensure hot filling temperature (≥85℃) or sterile environment, as well as capping tightness, to prevent secondary contamination.

3.2 Flavoring Timing for Fruit Juice Drinks

• Flavoring Process: Flavoring is carried out in the later stage of the blending and mixing process.
• Temperature Control: The mixing temperature is controlled below 30℃ to reduce flavor volatilization and aroma loss.
• Correct Sequence: It must be added after the acidulant (e.g., citric acid). Because most flavors are esters, which are prone to hydrolysis in an acidic environment, leading to flavor distortion and failure. Fully diluting the acidulant first can avoid local over-acidity of the flavor. Stir thoroughly to mix evenly after adding the flavor.

4. Production Process Flow of Solid Drinks (Powdered)

4.1 Key Control Points in Solid Drink Production

• Raw Material Control: Strictly inspect the microbial indicators of powdered raw materials to eliminate pollution sources.
• Sterilization Process: Adopt irradiation, thermal or other methods to effectively kill pathogenic bacteria and ensure safety. The common method for solid drinks is irradiation sterilization: send the whole box of finished products to the irradiation workshop for sterilization.
• Mixing Uniformity: Ensure that trace additives (flavors, nutrients) are completely evenly distributed.
• Packaging Moisture Proof: Quickly complete sealed packaging in a low-humidity environment to prevent moisture absorption, caking and deterioration.

4.2 Flavoring Timing for Solid Drinks

• Flavoring Process: Flavoring is carried out in the later stage of the mixing process. After the main basic raw materials such as powdered sugar and milk powder, as well as other trace components (e.g., acidulants, pigments) have been basically mixed evenly, add the flavor last and mix for a short time to ensure uniform distribution.
• Temperature Control: Low-temperature environment to avoid flavor volatilization caused by high temperature.
• Notes: Uniform Dispersion – Use a small amount of auxiliary materials (e.g., powdered sugar) for pre-mixing and dilution to prevent agglomeration or uneven distribution; Sealed Moisture Proof – Many flavors (especially liquid flavors) are hygroscopic, and subsequent operations need to be sealed quickly to prevent moisture absorption and aroma loss.

5. Basic Principles for Selecting Flavors for Beverages

• Generally, choose edible sweet flavor flavors: Theoretically, the company’s edible sweet water-soluble flavors, water-oil dual-purpose flavors, emulsified flavors, powder flavors, etc., are all suitable for flavoring in beverages. Usually, beverages have low requirements on the temperature resistance of flavors.
• In actual operation, the selection of the properties of flavor products should be based on the type of beverage product and combined with the customer’s specific production process. For example, carbonated drinks, fruit juice drinks, etc., prefer the company’s water-soluble flavors as the first choice; solid drinks prefer the company’s powder flavors as the first choice.
• Recommended dosage of flavors for beverages: 0.08%～0.12%

6. Common Product Quality Problems and Main Causes in Beverage Enterprises

• Spoilage: Cause: Incomplete sterilization (insufficient temperature/time), microbial contamination due to inadequate cleaning and disinfection of equipment, secondary contamination due to poor packaging tightness or inadequate sterilization of bottle caps.
• Precipitation and Stratification: Cause: High water hardness, unreasonable formula and process (e.g., charge imbalance of fruit juice/protein drinks), poor homogenization effect, or improper selection/ dosage of stabilizers.
• Flavor Distortion: Cause: Improper selection of flavors and fragrances or wrong addition timing, oxidative browning of raw materials (e.g., fruit juice), excessive sterilization leading to cooking taste, and odor migration from packaging materials.
• Carbonated Drinks “Losing Gas”: Cause: Insufficient CO₂ purity, too low gas content, loss caused by out-of-control pressure and temperature during filling, poor bottle cap tightness or tiny leaks in the bottle body.
• Visible Foreign Bodies: Cause: Impurities in raw materials, uncleaned equipment and pipelines, unwashed bottles or caps, and improper dust control in the production environment.

7. Recommended High-Quality Flavor Products for Beverages of the Company