The do's and dont's of rtd manufacturing
When it comes to ready-to-drink (rtd) manufacturing there are many moving parts to the process which must be meticulously managed to ensure the final product is as it should be. From ingredients to following the recipe, and transfering the product to package, all steps are vital to ensure the product is produced to standard.
Recipe consistency
Recipes are crafted in small batches by Food & Beverage Technologists who tweak the recipe to be the perfect balance of flavours. Scaling these recipes to production volumes requires careful calculations and testing and is a vital step of rtd manufacturing. Ensuring ingredients are consistent across various productions is also imperative in rtd manufacturing. Confirming that product codes of flavours and other additives are the same as previously utilised is an important step, especially if flavours purchased from flavour houses are custom flavours. Unintentionally utilising different ingredients will alter the taste, appearance and smell of the product. The flavour houses we utilise at Idyll offer numerous variations of the same key flavour -> such as cola.
Velcorin dosing
Most rtd products produced by Idyll are Velcorin dosed when bottled, kegged or canned. Velcorin dosing ensures no microorganisms will grow in the beverage product, and is especially important for products with a sugar content. Velcorin dosing products is an essential stage of rtd manufacturing as it ensures the viability of the product, enhancing its shelf life.
Can fill height
If your rtd beverage is canned, another important element of rtd manufacturing relates to the can fill height. Cans have a max fill volume which is above the labelled can size. Ie: 375ml cans can hold up to 385ml of liquid. It is important not to over or under fill cans in rtd manufacturing as overfilling can cause leaking or exploding cans and underfilling can lead to product recalls and oxidised product. Striking the right balance of a perfect can fill height is important in rtd manufacturing.
Dissolved oxygen (DO)
In rtd manufacturing, regardless of if the product is bottled, canned or kegged, oxygen in the empty packaging unit has the capability to destroy the beverage product. Oxygen in a beverage product has negative impacts on taste, smell and appearance of the product. At Idyll before being filled, bottles, cans and kegs are cleaned, sterilised and emptied of oxygen. We also ensure that there is no DO pickup in the transfer lines from tank to the rtd manufacturing packaging lines. This is a vital part of rtd manufacturing as high DO in products makes them undrinkable.
RTD manufacturing is a process with lots of moving parts that make or break the rtd manufacturing process. Ensuring all stages of the rtd manufacturing process are followed is imperative to producing a satisfactory beverage product.