Applications of natural plant extracts in soft drinks - Natural Food Additives, Ingredients and Flavourings - page 347

enabling declaration of the botanical in question as an ingredient. It may also be
noted that were an extract of an 'active' botanical extract to be added at a level at
which the ingredient was to have a health-promoting effect, the taste impact could
be unacceptable.
15.6 Water as an ingredient in soft drinks
15.6.1 Introduction
Whilst water is not a natural extract in the sense of other extracts described above,
it is in almost every instance by far the major component in soft drinks and is thus
an important natural ingredient. The physico-chemical and microbiological
qualities of water vary considerably from source to source and most countries set
minimum quality standards for drinking water.
Many soft drinks manufacturers have their own water source such as a borehole
which, in some instances, may also be registered as a source of 'natural mineral
water'. In many countries this description is reserved in statute and refers to a
registered source that is suitable for consumption usually without any treatment.
In some instances the physico-chemical parameters of natural mineral waters
render them unsuitable for beverage use because of a high level of one or more
salts which would affect fl avour or other quality of the fi nal beverage.
Some soft drink producers, particularly those manufacturing the same product
on different geographical sites, employ a water treatment process to ensure a
degree of standardisation of water quality.
Drinking water supplied by a local utility is usually considered suitable for use
in a range of beverages with only minimal treatment to remove any free chlorine
used to sterilise the supply. This removal is usually effected by passing the water
supply through a carbon fi lter. Residual chlorine allowed to remain in water used in
a soft drink often interacts with other constituents such as fruit or fl avour components
to produce chlorophenolic compounds that give the product a 'disinfectant' taste.
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15.6.2 Water standards
Standards for drinking water vary from country to country and the World Health
Organization (WHO) also has its own guidelines (WHO 2010). Generally,
standards for drinking water (and thus water for use in the manufacture of soft
drinks) include assessments for:
• Alkalinity
• Colour
• Conductivity
• pH
• Taste and odour
• Dissolved metals and salts (particularly calcium, magnesium, potassium,
sodium, chloride and sulphate)