Applications of natural plant extracts in soft drinks - Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings - page 339

Many early soft drinks were produced by similar methods of infusing botanical
material into water, other examples being dandelion and burdock and cola. Today
a number of beverage manufacturers are replicating these early products, although
the demands of today's marketplace mean that manufacturing methods need to
deliver consistent quality and stability in contrast to those early products.
Some early ginger beer and other infused products were intentionally fermented
and others simply left to stand and ferment by default. One of the principal drivers
for the use of prepared extracts was to introduce consistency and, in particular,
microbial stability to the end products. The development of botanical extracts
using a range of solvents has made the production of consistent and stable products
possible.
The correct identifi cation of the botanical starting material is an essential
requirement for the production of a consistent extract and it may be necessary to
specify the country of origin of the botanical material to ensure a satisfactory product.
Plant extracts are classifi ed in a number of categories and Table 15.2 sets out
some terminology that is widely used in the preparation of extracts. Other widely
used descriptions are found in the various types of products that appear as British
Pharmacopoeia (BP) and British Pharmaceutical Codex (BPC) items. These
descriptions are summarised in Table 15.3.

Table 15.2 Some terminology used in the preparation of oleoresins, tinctures and

extracts

Type Defi nition Example

Concrete Extract of previously live plant material:

contains all hydrocarbons, soluble matter
and is usually a solid, waxy substance

All fl owers (jasmine
orange fl ower, rose,
carnation, etc.)

Absolute An alcoholic extract of a concrete which

usually eliminates waxes, terpene and
sesquiterpene hydrocarbons

All fl owers (jasmine,
lavender, chamomile, etc.)

Balsam A natural raw material which exudes from a

tree or plant. They have a high content of
benzoic acid, benzoates and cinnamates

Peru, tolu, Canada, fi r
needle, etc.

￿ ￿ ￿ ￿ ￿

Resin These are either natural or prepared

Natural resins are exudations from trees or
plants and are formed in nature by oxidation
of terpenes
Prepared resins are oleoresins from which
essential oils have been removed

Orris, olibanum, mastic,
cypress and fl owers

Oleoresin Natural oleoresins are exudations from plants

Prepared oleoresins are liquid extracts of plants
yielding the oleoresin upon evaporation

Ginger, kola nut, lovage
onion, pepper, etc.

Extract Concentrated products obtained from solvent

treatment of a natural product

St John's bread, rhatany
root, mate, fenugreek, etc.

Source: Shaath and Griffi n (1988) .