Natural Soda Preservative

[jonnybleu]

Hello everyone,

I've searched the forums and not found an answer to this questions specifically so would like to ask here.

I'm working on a soda project and may end up semi-commercial but am over in Asia and don't have easy access to all the things we would in the States or Europe. I want to narrow down what preservative, as natural as possible, that I should consider using for a shelf stable (1 year) bottled soda product.

I've done some research on both bottled teas and lemonades, etc... and see that a lot of them have a few grams of ascorbic acid (like maybe green or black tea with ascorbic and bottled). If I can use ascorbic acid great, but after reading a few posts I'm not so sure.

As a number of the flavors are citrus based I would like to avoid sodium benzoate.

When I see a green tea beverage (not soda) with only brewed green tea and ascorbic acid it's the ascorbic that's preserving it isn't it? Or are they using UHT or some form of sterilization method other than that?

Mostly interested in a soda line, cold brew bottled tea, and cold brew coffee, all bottled for long shelf life.

Any thoughts/advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Blue-Frog]

I don't have the answers you seek but have an interest myself.

You need to seperate the storage problems into groups and search for solutions based on problem type.

SB stops fermentation.
VC is an anti-oxididant.

different problems might require different solutions.

What sort of problems are you having or expecting?
That is where you should begin.

I think the key could be in getting the correct pH and perhaps a pH buffer system working. You want to keep things from dropping out of solution I presume as well as but as far as specfic solutions I am listening too.


What part of asia?

In Japan the canned cold coffee history is older than I am I think so looking at there solutions might be advisable, although I must say there canned coffee does not taste like freshly brewed cold or "ice coffee", so I wonder....

Best of luck!

 

[MrFoodScientist]

One thing you have to keep in mind, though is that a lot of the non-carbonated, shelf stable drinks are likely hot-filled. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case even if it's "cold-brewed". Hot filling means that it is filled and sealed at a temperature that microbes can't survive at, and so their is no chance of anything growing or contaminating it.
Carbonated drinks cannot be hot filled, otherwise they wouldn't retain carbonation. Thus they use chemical preservatives that are not necessary in a hot-filled beverage.
So, just because a still drink doesn't have preservatives, don't expect to follow the same recipe/preservation method for a carbonated beverage.

 

[jonnybleu]

Thank you. Sorry for no response sooner. Am over in Mongolia and have been busy and no internet for a few days.

I've been bottling yeast carbonated ginger beer / some form of cider for quite a while. Now getting into sodas as I have a co2 tank and some teas, coffees just out of interest.

Thanks for the insight, will let you know what I come up with. Sounds like an artificial preservative may be necessary although I wonder about all the "natural" sodas out there and how they are doing it. Just uber-clean production line? Still seems like everything lists ascorbic acid in the ingredient statement if it's carbonated and natural/organic.

 

[Blue-Frog]

...Now getting into sodas as I have a co2 tank ....
Sounds like an artificial preservative may be necessary although I wonder about all the "natural" sodas out there and how they are doing it. Just uber-clean production line? Still seems like everything lists ascorbic acid in the ingredient statement if it's carbonated and natural/organic.

Not sure but maybe what you are hung up on is the term "natural";
usually this can be read as being derrived from a natural plant source and not a chemical laboratory... this includes the CO2 so, as I understand it, for example the Germans collect the naturally produced CO2, then use it to carbonate their non-bottle-conditioned beers.

You could rig up something to produce "natural" CO2 to "artificially" carbonate your soda with naturally produced CO2, but I wonder if it really necessary for the Mongolian soda market... the CO2 tank should be enough til you get established (?)

 

[Yooper]

Here in the US, potassium sorbate is one of the most common preservatives in purchased juice and other shelf-stable products. It's readily available to winemakers to use for sweetening wine and preventing refermentation, but I have no idea if it's available to you!

 

[jonnybleu]

By natural I simply mean no chemical preservatives. Juice, sweetener, water, co2, all those things are fine, but when you start adding chemicals for long shelf life it gets a bit into a grey area, at least in the natural bev industry.

Ascorbic acid is typically regarded as more natural than potassium sorbate but hey, we are talking about soda here... =)

 

[jonnybleu]

So how much potassium sorbate to preserve a 12oz or 16oz bottle?

 

[jonnybleu]

Stupid question: What is the best way to fill glass bottles with soda without loosing too much carbonation, etc... I did 50 this weekend for an even with a very simple soda gun that was on the end of a standard vinyl pipe. Worked but was v messy and too much lost carbonation. Some sort of a simple siphon maybe? I'm using a 5 gallon corney keg to force carbonate the mix. Also have a Carbonator that goes on a 2L bottle but that would take a lot more time. Fill from the bottom of bottle up? Whats a good siphon for this?

 

[EJay]

To the OP: Is pasteurization an option?

 

[rocketsan]

To the OP: Is pasteurization an option?

This 100%


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