CARBONATION

Carbonation is the process of introducing carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into water or into a
beverage. Soft drinks containing CO2 are called carbonated soft drinks and are referred to as
CSDs. This - category of beverages makes up almost half of all world soft drink sales. When a
carbonated drink is poured into a glass, the CO2 gas in the beverage is liberated in the form of
small bubbles that rise quickly to the surface, where they burst and release the gas. This also
happens in one’s mouth when drinking the beverage, causing the tingling, tickling effect typical
of all CSDs. The formation of gas bubbles in a liquid, technically referred to as effervescence, is
what we commonly call fizz, sparkle, bubbles, and so forth. In nature, we find this effervescence
in some spring waters containing CO2 that was absorbed underground at high pressures. In
CSDs, carbonation is a man-made process of physically introducing CO2 gas under pressure into
the beverage (or into water with which the final beverage can be prepared).
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
Carbon dioxide is a natural gas. It is present in the air at a very low level of about 0.03% by
volume. It is a vital substance to the plant kingdom for the process of photosynthesis, in which it
is converted, using water and sunlight energy, into carbohydrates. These, in turn, serve as
nutrients for the growing plant and help to build its main cellular structural component, cellulose.
Carbon dioxide can exist in three forms: gas, solid (dry ice), and liquid (under certain pressure
levels). It has physical and chemical properties that render it ideal for the role it plays in
carbonated beverages:
• It is a nontoxic, colorless, and odorless gas that does not impart any flavor to the beverage.
• It is nonflammable and presents no fire hazard when handled.
• It is soluble in water and dissolves easily in the beverage.
• Its solubility can be controlled by regulating the temperature and pressure relationship.
• In water, it forms a weak acid (carbonic acid) that gives the beverage its typical tart taste note.
• The carbonic acid can retard the growth of many common microorganisms.
• Carbonic acid easily releases CO2 gas to create effervescence when the beverage is consumed.
Carbon dioxide is produced in various industrial chemical processes, where it is often a by-
product of sufficient volumes to warrant further processing into the purified product used in the
soft drinks industry. This is most commonly supplied to the bottler in the pressurized liquid CO2
form by specialist industrial gas-producing companies. This liquid CO2 can be delivered in gas
cylinders. However, in most reasonably sized soft drink operations, the liquid CO2 is normally
transported to the bottler’s site and transferred into refrigerated bulk storage pressure vessels
owned and maintained by the supplier. These liquid CO2 plants on the bottler’s site are designed
to deliver CO2 in its gaseous form when drawn off for production purposes. Soft drink
companies have strict specifications regarding purity and general quality of liquid CO2. It is
recommended to only deal with suppliers that can meet these specifications. A bottler does not
normally have the equipment or the expertise for testing for specification details. However, some
basic routine testing of CO2 for taste, odor, and appearance can be performed. This is done by
gently bubbling some CO2 gas that is drawn from an on-line sampling source through a
sweetened and acidified water solution simulating an average beverage product. After a specified
time of dispersing the CO2 in the solution, it is tested for taste, odor, and appearance against a
control solution. There should be no off-tastes or off-odors in the test sample, which should also
be clear of any turbidity or foreign matter. Also, to ensure the quality of the CO2 used in
production, bottlers may install in-line activated carbon cartridge filters. These would remove
any taste or odor defects that could be introduced in the supply lines from the CO2 vessels that
were installed by the company.
GAS VOLUMES
Water at 15.6°C (60°F) and at 1 Atm of pressure will dissolve a quantity of CO2 equal to its own
volume. In other words, 1 liter of water at this temperature and pressure can absorb 1 liter of
CO2. At 15.6°C (60°F) and at 1 Atm of pressure, CO2 has a density of 1.86 (air = 1.00). This
means that at these conditions, 1 liter of water would contain 1.86 g of dissolved CO2. At
different temperatures and pressures, the volume of CO2 capable of being dissolved in 1 liter of
water will change. At temperatures below 15.6°C and at pressures above 1 Atm, there could be
more than 1 liter of CO2 dissolved in the water. It has, therefore, become a practice to speak of
the amount of CO2 dissolved in a CSD in terms of how many CO2 volumes it contains. These
are called gas volumes, and they are the unit of measurement for the level of carbonation in a
CSD. The relationship between temperature and pressure in the water determines how many
volumes of CO2 it can dissolve. In a similar manner, to measure the amount of CO2 in a bottled
CSD or, in other words, to measure the beverage gas volume, the pressure in the bottle must be
determined as well as the temperature of the beverage at the time of the test.
Carbonating the Beverage
Most CSD operations use the system of water-to-syrup proportioning at the filling machine. In
such systems, a liquid mixture of syrup and water is obtained at the target Brix of the final
beverage to be filled. All that is needed to convert this liquid to final beverage is to carbonate it
at the specified gas volume of the beverage flavor. Different flavors have characteristic
carbonation levels. Colas, lemonades, ginger ales, tonic waters, and soda waters usually have
high gas volume values between 3.0 and 4.0. Fruit flavors and cream sodas tend to have lower
carbonation levels in the range of 2.5 to 2.8 gas volume. Sparkling mineral waters normally have
gas volumes below 2.0. To carbonate a specific final beverage at the filling machine, the
production operators will know from experience to what temperature it must be cooled and at
what pressure to feed the CO2 gas into the liquid. If necessary, the operator will consult a gas
volume chart and set temperature and pressure levels accordingly. For the higher gas volume
products, the operator will normally work around a temperature of less than 10°C and at
pressures around 30 psi or higher. Equipment capabilities and limitations may also influence the
operator’s chosen temperature and pressure settings. The beverage to be carbonated can first be
cooled in a separate cooling unit and then carbonated in a dedicated carbonator unit. Many filling
machines have a unit called a carbo-cooler that does these two processes of chilling and
carbonation simultaneously. After the cooling and carbonating process, the liquid, which to all
intents and purposes is now actually a carbonated final beverage, is transferred to the filler bowl.
The filler bowl is kept under CO2 pressure for two main reasons. First, the “head” pressure in the
bowl keeps the dissolved CO2 of the beverage in the liquid. Second, there is the matter of
counter-pressure. Most fillers work on the gravity-filling principle — the beverage runs out of
the bowl, by the force of gravity, through the filling valves, and into the bottles or cans. In order
to achieve this gentle gravity-induced flow of liquid from filler bowl into bottle, the pressure
formed from the dissolved CO2 in the bottle as it is being filled must be negated. If not, the
bottle would, at a certain stage of its filling operation, contain enough CO2 pressure to stop the
inflow from the filler. Therefore, the bowl must contain a pressure equal to that in the bottle in
order to allow for a free flow of beverage through the filling valve, into the bottle. This pressure
in the filler bowl is the counter-pressure mentioned above. Another issue related to the
carbonation aspects of CSD filling is that of snifting. In order to provide the free gravity flow of
beverage from the bowl into the bottle, the entire system of bottle, filler valve, and filler bowl
must be “airtight” — it must be one continuous system without any leaks. For this purpose, the
filler bowl operation is designed so that in a certain stage of its revolution on its axis, the empty
bottle is raised upward, and its mouth is pressed firmly against the rubber cup of the filling valve,
creating an airtight seal. However, as the bottle is slowly filled, the CO2 in its headspace is
compressed, and a stage arrives where it must be released from the bottle. This is to allow further
filling and to prevent the bottle from bursting under the increased pressure. This removal of
excess pressure is achieved by opening the snift valve of the filling valve, again at a certain stage
in the cycle of the revolving bowl. In all my years spent working in or visiting at bottling plants,
I never ceased to marvel at the ingenuity involved in a CSD filler bowl operation. The two
instances mentioned above, the snifting and counterpressure devices, are but a few of many other
instances of what I consider “mechanical wonders” involving the machining precision, timing,
synchronization, and general engineering inventiveness that can be observed in a single rotation
of a filler bowl unit.