Beverage analysis overview

Beverage analysis refers to the scientific examination of various types of beverages to determine their composition, quality, and safety. This process is vital for ensuring that beverages meet the required standards for consumption, comply with regulatory requirements, and maintain consistency in taste and quality. Beverage analysis involves a range of tests and techniques to measure the physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of drinks.

Beverage analysis plays an important role in:

Quality Assurance: Ensuring that each batch of beverage maintains a consistent color, flavor, aroma, and texture.
Regulatory Compliance: Meeting the safety and labeling requirements set by health authorities and regulatory bodies.
Consumer Safety: Detecting and eliminating contaminants or adulterants that could pose health risks.
Product Development: Assisting in the formulation of new products and improving existing ones.
Shelf-Life Testing: Determining the stability and longevity of beverages under various storage conditions.

Role of Malvern Panalytical in beverage testing

Malvern Panalytical is a leader in providing advanced instrumentation and solutions for beverage analysis. Our range of instruments are designed to meet the specific needs of beverage manufacturers, ensuring they can achieve the highest standards of quality and safety.

Our instruments are used for the formulation of any flavor or color emulsion which can be optimized by looking at the particle size and charge. This will influence its appearance (cloudiness) and its stability in final use.

The characterization of emulsion-based drink formulations (cream liqueur, color emulsion, flavor emulsion) can be analyzed to understand, control and optimize:

Shelf life can be increased by optimizing the formulation, and how particle size may change over time, reducing sedimentation or creaming in the product
Sugar crystals can be a problem in some flavorings, particle size analysis can spot the outsize particles before they become an issue

Analysis of particle size distributions from sub-nanometer to millimeters

Particle size

Zeta potential measurements to improve formulation stability, shelf life an...

Zeta potential

Beverage testing solutions

Malvern Panalytical offers the following beverage laboratory solutions used in studying the parameters influencing the formulation of emulsion-based drinks, shakes and drink additives.

Mastersizer range

Mastersizer range

The smartest way to measure particle size

Mastersizer 3000+ range

The Mastersizer range from Malvern Panalytical is an advanced set of instruments designed for particle size analysis. This technique is crucial for understanding the size distribution of particles within a beverage, which can impact the product's texture, appearance, and stability.

Accurate particle size measurement ensures that beverages, such as juices and carbonated drinks, maintain a consistent mouthfeel and appearance.

The Mastersizer instruments use laser diffraction technology to provide rapid and precise particle size distributions, helping manufacturers optimize product formulations and quality control processes. Mastersizer 3000+ introduces adaptive diffraction which allows additional insight if small amounts of large particles are present (which indicates an unstable formulation).

In product development, a variety of ingredients may be used in different ratios in order to establish which formulation is the most appropriate for analysis.

The Mastersizer Autolab can be used to streamline this process saving valuable time.

Zetasizer Advance Range

Zetasizer Advance Range

Light Scattering for every application

Zetasizer Advance range

The Zetasizer Advance range specializes in measuring the zeta potential of particles within a beverage. Zeta potential is a key indicator of the stability of colloidal systems, which are common in many beverages like milk, beer, and soft drinks.

By assessing the zeta potential, manufacturers can predict and control the stability of their products, preventing issues such as sedimentation and flocculation.

This range of instruments uses dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electrophoretic light scattering (ELS) to deliver accurate measurements, ensuring that beverages remain stable and visually appealing throughout their shelf life.