Non Alcoholic Beverages Analysis and Testing, Soda, Citrus Juice

Soda, Juice, and Water Solutions

Complete Beverage Testing Solutions for Non-Alcoholic Beverages

What do they all have in common? The need for consistent quality EVERY TIME.

The beverage industry continues to grow from specially blended juices to fortified waters and beyond. Consumers have come to expect their beverages to have the same taste, texture, and even smell every time. Most beverages are made from a blend of expensive flavors/oils, natural and synthetic sweeteners, natural juices, as well as unique ingredients like caffeine and preservatives. However, for all beverage types, quality is critical and must be monitored to track adulteration, product consistency, contamination and for regulatory compliance from incoming ingredients to bottled product. Xylem Lab Solutions instruments provide comprehensive quality control for your beverages to keep costs and profits in check. Testing needs vary, but Xylem can help you with your beverage solutions from the front end to the back end of the process and everything in between. Learn more below.

Acidity/pHBrix Sugars/PurityRecoverable OilAldehydesBenzene & VOCsChlorinated PesticidesProcess Water  

beverage testing and analysis applications and parameters

Acidity/pH


non-alcoholic beverage analysis testing titrator system

YSI TitroLine 7000

In beverage analysis, there are two interconnected acidity concepts, pH and titratable acidity. Each plays an important piece in understanding the beverage quality. Active acidity is measured by pH in terms of H+ ions present in the sample; while total acidity measures the total acid concentration by titration.

Total acid concentration, or titratable acidity, is a common measurement in the beverage industry and is accomplished by titration of a known volume of sample with an aqueous alkali solution to an endpoint. It can be used to assess the concentration of a drink and to check the level of commonly used acidic preservatives. Total acidity can be done by manual titration but for rapid and precise results the TitroLine® series of automatic titrators are a perfect solution.

The Titroline 7000, with over 50 user methods can easily be configured to determine your % acid in a fast and reliable way. The Titroline 7000 calibrates through wireless sensor technology on the IDS electrodes. These IDS electrodes send their specific data wirelessly to the titrator. Therefore, the TitroLine® 7000 always uses the correct calibration data, and erroneous measurements are excluded.

Active acidity, or pH measures the degree of alkalinity or acidity by measuring the H+ ions present in the sample. Xylem offers a wide portfolio of electrodes and meters both benchtop and portable to meet your needs such as the MultiLab 4010-3W.

Brix/Sugars


Degrees Brix (symbol °Brix) is the sugar content of an aqueous solution. One degree Brix represents 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and indicates the strength of the solution as a percentage by mass. This measurement can correlate to the product’s taste, quality, and even nutritional density. Refractometers, such as the RFM340-T, are used to measure this value.

Refractometers are straightforward instruments to use in your process, but it is important to choose one that offers durability and reliability so that you do not have wasted downtime, while maintaining confidence in your results. Cleanability is also critical. Whether you are running ten or hundreds of samples a shift in production or the laboratory, you want it to be easy and fast.

Purity


Measuring the type of sugar is critical to a beverage manufacturer to ensure that their final product is high quality and not adulterated. Polarimetry is a non-destructive method used to measure the concentration and purity of a substance in a solution based on its rotation of the plane polarized light. Polarimetry can be used only for optically active substances. A substance is said to be optically active if it rotates the plane polarized light. Optical activity of a substance depends on its chirality. A chiral substance is one that cannot be superposed on its mirror image. The ADP 450 polarimeter with peltier temperature control, and a low maintenance LED light source will ensure your purity.

YSI Life Sciences’ family of Biochemistry Analyzers can also help with your workflow success since they can measure glucose, lactate, saccharides, amino/organic acids, alcohols and electrolytes in a plug-and-play analytical solutions for raw material, in- process, and final product testing. Obtain analyte specific results in 60 seconds.

Recoverable Oil


The recoverable oil is used to measure d-limonene a major hydrocarbon in citrus oils. It does not contribute to the citrus juice flavor, however, too much of it can cause an unpleasant bitter sensation in the mouth or tongue known as “oil burn.” The Scott Oil Test, method specified in AOAC 968.20, uses distillation and bromate-bromide titration to monitor the levels of d-limonene. The challenge is that the Scott Oil Test is time-consuming, especially the manual distillation step. The VAPODEST automatic distillation equipment has proven to save time for a large citrus juice manufacturer. The VAPODEST cut the distillation step down from 8 minutes to 90 seconds, a time savings of 80%.

Aldehydes


Aldehydes are important for the flavor notes in citrus oils. The higher the aldehyde content the stronger the flavor. In orange oil the major aldehyde is decanal while in lemon oil it is citral. AOAC methods 955.32 and 942.3 use a titration to determine the percent aldehydes in the sample. Our TitroLine series of instruments can help you automate this process for more precise and reliable results.

Benzene and Other Volatile Organic Compounds


Beverage Analysis Benzene Volatile Organic Compounds vocs

4100 Water and Soil Sample Processor and 4760 Purge and Trap Sample Concentrator

Volatile organic compounds are a wide range of naturally and synthetically occurring chemicals. They are present in many food and beverage products, including soda. Although there is not an official regulation for producers of soda and soft drinks they still measure for Benzene and other VOCs using purge and trap concentration and detection by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). In addition to being able to detect unwanted VOCs, such as benzene, the same instrument can also give you a fragrance profile based on the aromatics detected. Our 4760 Eclipse Purge and Trap Sample concentrator and 4100 Sample Processor are ideally suited for this analysis.

Chlorinated Pesticides


Organochlorines (OC) are a group of chlorinated compounds widely used as pesticides. These chemicals belong to the class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high persistence in the environment. Although other alternatives exist, many developing countries have banned their use, many developing countries continue to use them because they are cost and pest effective. These pesticides are usually present at a very low level in the samples and there can be many potential interfering compounds extracted from the matrix along with the pesticides. For a successful pesticide analysis, a very sensitive and selective detector is required. The 5360A Halogen Specific Detector (XSDTM) was developed for the selective detection of halogen containing compounds and is selective against co-extractants. The XSD installs in the standard detector port of most GC brands and models.

Process Water


Water. It is used in most all aspects in a beverage plant, from being an essential component to cleaning, and it should not be overlooked. Water as a primary raw material can affect the quality of your finished products in terms of taste and consistency while water used for cleaning must meet all discharge limits set by the regulatory bodies.

Key water quality tests may include:

  • Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
  • Turbidity
  • pH Levels
  • Total Organic Carbon
  • Alkalinity
  • Water Hardness
  • Disinfectant Levels
  • Dissolved Oxygen
  • Additional parameters as required by production needs.

Utilizing advanced solutions like the 1030W TOC Analyzer and the MultiLab 4010-3W can ensure precise, reliable measurements for these essential water tests. Xylem’s expertise in water analysis and solutions can help optimize your quality control processes and meet regulatory standards. Xylem knows water, contact us today to discuss all your testing needs.

Beverage Analysis and Testing Experts Laboratory Consulting

Additional Resources

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