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Velcorin, a beverage stabiliser, is safe, flexible, economic
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Thursday, 01 November, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Vinod Agnihotri
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fiogf49gjkf0d Cool upholders of good taste
Everyone needs to drink – that’s no revelation. But what are we drinking? We have certainly seen a few changes in our drinking habits over the last few years. The range of products currently available in supermarkets and beverage stores bear little resemblance to the monotony of tea, coffee, sparkling mineral water and lemonade which filled the shelves a few decades ago. Next to the lemonade you will now find shelves packed with sophisticated soft drinks, while healthy drinks are attracting an increasingly health-conscious clientele, flavoured waters are enjoying increased popularity and wine is no longer considered a luxury product.
Optimal stabilisation to satisfy highly stringent quality requirements
The requirements which manufacturers and consumers place on lifestyle drinks in terms of functional packaging, product quality and taste, have reached a very high level. The encouraging trend towards ‘lifestyle’ drinks brings the bottling companies huge opportunities but also presents them with new challenges.
One of the key challenges of manufacturing beverages is the need for optimal product stabilisation For example, PET is frequently incompatible with the hot bottling processes used because bottles grow out of shape and the heat treatment process can affect properties like the vitamin content and flavour of high-quality soft drinks. The addition of preservatives such as benzoic acid can upset the sophisticated balance of fine flavours in a high-quality ‘designer drink’. Problems not only arise in water to which subtle flavours are added, but also in soft drinks containing fruit juice. Everyone knows what an apple tastes like, and anyone who is prepared to pay more for a particular product will not want to pay good money for flavours that come across as “unnatural”.
Flexible, safe, and economic
One good solution to this dilemma and one that only requires a low level of investment in the bargain is the stabiliser Velcorin, which specialty chemicals group LANXESS has been successfully manufacturing and marketing for 30 years. By combining a whole range of properties, the premium product is an excellent solution, especially for situations where particularly high-quality beverages are bottled cold. Velcorin has a very special ‘operating principle’. In the presence of water, it breaks down into tiny volumes of methanol and carbon dioxide (both are natural components of fruit juices or, drinks containing fruit juice) in a matter of minutes, enabling it to deactivate the key enzymes of microorganisms that cause harm to the drink. Its impact on yeast and many molds and bacteria is outstanding.
Velcorin's technology is not only fast and thorough, it is also highly selective, as Velcorin has no impact whatsoever on the odour, taste or colour of the drink to which it is added. It can be used with a wide range of different beverages and is compatible with not just PET, but all forms of packaging. The colourless liquid is added to the drink just before bottling, thereby covering all possible gaps in the process which could allow germs to enter the product even in meticulously clean environments.
To complement its range of products, LANXESS also offers suitable metering technology, combined with customer-oriented service. The metering units are marketed under the trade name Velcorin DT. They satisfy all the technical requirements and are easy to operate. The very accurate and robust pumps ensure the necessary distribution of Velcorin in the beverage during the industrial filling process.
Picture: The very accurate and robust Velcorin DT metering units ensure excellent distribution of the stabilizer in the beverage during the industrial filling process.
Velcorin technology is simple, reliable and particularly suited to flexible bottling companies that change their systems on a frequent basis. As with all processes, there are requirements which must be satisfied if the best results are to be achieved. LANXESS and the company’s various partners have decades of experience and are therefore highly competent professionals who can be called upon when introducing technology to a plant, calculating optimal process parameters, and planning a tailor-made solution for developing beverages who will even take special remits into account. The success enjoyed by high-quality refrigerated drinks is set to continue and will be reflected in a number of new light and refreshing products. LANXESS has set itself the task of assisting beverage manufacturers in their quest to ensure even greater stability.
(The writer is head, business unit, material protection products, LANXESS India)
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