20 Aug 2016

ingredients used in Schweppes Bitter Lemon



Now the ingredients, I have discussed about carbonated water and sugar in my previous posts. Let me start from Acidulant.
 
 What is Acidulant? Citric Acid and Lemon flavor

Acidulants are chemical compounds that confer a sour or acidic flavor to foods.


Citric Acid:
it is one of the stronger edible acids, it used as a flavoring and preservative in food and beverages, especially soft drinks. Within the European Union it is denoted by E number E330. Citric acid can be added to ice cream as an emulsifying agent to keep fats from separating, to caramel to prevent sucrose crystallization, or in recipes in place of fresh lemon juice
Lemon flavor:
Natural lemon flavor is made from essential oils extracted from the lemon’s skin. Lemon oil is very concentrated; so many brands of natural lemon flavor contain a mixture of lemon oil and vegetable oils

stabilizer: It is used to maintain a high product quality and minimize waste. Highly concentrated soft drink compounds, which are subsequently diluted into concentrates or ready-to-drink consumer products, are acidic and have high initial dry matter content. Without proper stabilization, the compounds may phase separately.

The stabilizer used in Schweppes is Gum Acacia
Gum Acacia also known as Gum Arabic is a natural gum made of the hardened sap of various species of the acacia tree
It is used as an emulsifier and a thickening agent in icing, fillings, chewing gum and other confectionery treats. It is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer. It is edible and has E number E414.

Preservatives: it allows products to have a longer shelf life by slowing or stopping the growth of micro-organisms (yeasts, moulds and bacteria).

Two preservatives used in Bitter lemon are: Benzoate and Quinine

Benzoate
Sodium benzoate is a widely used food preservative, with an E number of E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water.
In the United States, sodium benzoate is designated as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration. The International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647–825 mg/kg of body weight per day.

Quinine
Quinine is a flavour component of tonic water and bitter lemon drink mixers.

references:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder
http://www.britishsoftdrinks.com/Ingredients
http://food.ku.dk/english/projects/dmpp/funconc/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/549762-lemon-juice-vs-natural-lemon-flavor/

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