How Soft Drinks Are Made

Soft drinks are made of mostly water. So the quality of the water in your bottle of pop is very important. A series of filtration systems produces the super-purified water that is fresh, clean and clear. The main stage of making soft drinks is when the secret ingredient or flavourings are added. Sweeteners, herbs, berries, and other wholesome ingredients, and syrup base is created to added to the pure water. After the flavourings are added the result is a great taste but a slightly dull drink. So they add carbon dioxide, a tasteless natural gas. Adding it using a carbonator. When the soda factory transfers the soft drink into cans or plastic bottles, transferring it under pressure to a filling machine. The filling machine squirts just the right amount into squeaky clean containers. The containers are immediately sealed for freshness. Throughout the manufacturing process, soft drinks are usually chilled. If they are transferred this way, condensation would form on the outside of the container and make cartons and cases wet. So, every container is sprayed with warm water (to bring to room temperature) and dried before moving onto shipping. Many soft drink containers have their labels pre-printed before they arrive at the soft drink plant. If not, they are applied now. Then they are placed in cartons or trays, bundled into large pallets, and whisked away to you. For a closer look at soft drink ingredients...Like other foods, the ingredients that are used in soft drinks are approved and closely regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All of the ingredients used in soft drinks are found in a variety of other foods. Waterspout drink production starts with a pure source of water. Regular soft drinks contain 90% water, while diet soft drinks contain up to 99% water. When you open a soft drink bottle or can, the "pop" you hear and the "fizz" you see is the fast escape of carbon dioxide gas caused by the sudden release of pressure on the drink. One of the most important ingredients in soft drinks is flavouring. Most soft drink bottlers mix many individual flavours to create original tastes. Natural flavours in soft drinks come from spices, natural extracts and oils. Fruit-flavoured soft drinks such as orange and lemon-lime often contain natural fruit extracts. Other flavours such as root beer and ginger ale contain flavourings made from herbs and spices. There are also some artificial or man-made flavourings used in soft drinks. Nature does not produce enough of some flavours to satisfy world demand. Also, some natural flavours are limited geographically and seasonally. Many people don't realize how important colour is to foods or drinks. Colour affects our psychological impression of food. If you don' believe it, try eating a favourite food in the dark. The colours used in foods and beverages come from both natural and synthetic sources.