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7.Beverages
Nutritionalsignificance
Processing
Packaging
Suitabilityforsmallscaleproduction
Awiderangeofplantmaterialsareusedtomanufacturebeverages.Theseincludeleaves,
stems,sap,fruits,tubers,andseeds(grains).
Thelargenumberofbeveragesmaybeclassifiedasshown:

Themarketforbeveragesisbroadlydividedinmanycountriesintothoseproductsthatare
boughttoquenchthirst,andthosethatareconsumedonspecialoccasionsincluding
festivals.Theformergrouparemostlynonalcoholicandincludetea,coffee,andsoftdrinks
(includingjuices,nectars,andcarbonateddrinks).Insomecountriestheseproductsarealso
usedonsocialoccasions,whereasinotherareasalcoholicbeveragesarepreferred
(althoughsoftdrinksarealsousuallyavailable).Inmostcountries,themarketforalcoholic
andnonalcoholicdrinksisspecificwithregardtoreligiousandculturaltaboos.
Competitionfrommedium/largescaleproducersismostacuteforsmallscaleproducersin
beveragemanufacture.Manylargescaleproducerspromotetheirproductsbyimplying
statusintheirconsumptionandspendconsiderableamountsonadvertisingandpackaging.
Theymayalsohaveestablishedsophisticateddistributionsystemsandspecificagreements
withwholesalersandretailers.Thusbeveragemanufactureisoneofthemostdifficultfor
smallscaleproducerstoestablishandsucceedin.
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Nutritionalsignificance
Mostbeveragescontainagreatdealofwater.Thisdoesnotaddmanynutrientstothediet,
butitdoesplayanimportantroleinmaintainingbodybalancebypreventingdehydration.
Beveragesarenotusuallyconsumedfortheirfoodvalue,butmany,particularlythefruit
drinks,containquiteahighpercentageofsugarandthereforeaddtotheenergycontentof
thediet.Additionallyfruitjuicesprovideasupplyofvitaminsandminerals.
Certaindrinkscontainartificialflavouringsandcolourings.Theuseofsuchadditivesis
governedbylegalrequirementsanditisvitaltokeeptotheseregulationsinordertoprotect
theconsumerfromanyundesirablesideeffects.Somecolouringagentsforexampleare
thoughttocausehyperactivityinchildren,andarethereforetobeavoided.
Alcoholicdrinksarejudgedintermsofflavourandthestimulanteffecttheyproduce.Inmany
countriesalcoholproductionisstrictlycontrolledbygovernmentagenciesanditmaybe
difficulttoobtainthenecessarypermitstoproducethesebeverageslegally.
Nonalcoholicbeverages
Awiderangeofdrinkscanbemanufacturedwhichcontainasthebasematerialeither
pulpedfruitorjuice.Manyaredrunkasapurefruitjuicewithouttheadditionofother
ingredients,whereasothersaredilutedwithsugarsyrup.
Forsimplicity,fruitdrinkscanbedividedintotwogroups:
Thosethataredrunkimmediatelyafteropening.
Thosethatareusedlittlebylittlefrombottleswhicharestoredbetweenuse.
Theformergroupshouldnotneedanypreservativeifprocessedandpackagedproperly.
Howeverthelattermustcontainacertainamountofpermittedpreservativestohavealong
shelflifeafteropening.
Thefollowinglistmayprovehelpfulindistinguishingbetweenthedifferenttypesofdrink:
Juices.Thesearepurefruitjuicewithnothingadded.
Nectars.Thesenormallycontain30percentfruitsolidsandaredrunk
immediatelyafteropening.
Squashes.Thesenormallycontainatleast25percentfruitpulpmixedwith
sugarsyrup.Theyarediluted,totaste,withwaterandmaycontain
preservatives.
Cordials.Thesearecrystalclearsquashes.
Syrups.Theseareconcentratedjuiceswhichareclear.Theynormallyhavea
highsugarcontent.
Eachoftheaboveproductsispreservedbyitsnaturalacidityandbypasteurization.Some
drinks(syrupsandsquashes)alsocontainahighconcentrationofsugarwhichhelpsto
preservethem.
Alcoholicdrinks
Themostcommonexamplesofalcoholicbeveragesarewinesandbeers.Beerisusually
madefromacereal,whereaswinecanbeproducedfromeithercerealsorfruit.Bothcanbe
distilledtoproducespiritswithanalcoholcontentof3050percent.
Bothwinesandbeersareproducedbyfermentationwhichinvolvestheconversionofsugars
intherawmaterialoraddedsugarintoalcoholandcarbondioxide.Differentvarietiesofthe
yeastSaccharomycescerevisiaeareusedtoproducewinesorbeer.Asimplifiedlistofthe
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differencesisshowninthetableopposite:
Product

Typeofyeast

Beer

'Topyeast'Saccharomycescerevisiae

Lager

'Bottomyeast'Saccharomycescarlsbergensis

Fruitwine 'Wineyeast'S.oriformis,S.chevalieri,
S.cerevisiae(varietyellipsoideus)oramixtureofthese
Palmwine 'Wildyeast'naturalmixtureofyeasts
Ricewine Saccharomycessake

Althoughitispossibletouseanystrainofbrewer'syeastforfermentation,itisnecessaryfor
asmallproducertoselectonethatworkswellandthencontinuetouseittoproducea
consistentproduct.
Alcoholhasalowerboilingpointthanwateranddistillation(vaporizingthealcoholandthen
condensingit)isusedtoconcentratethealcoholinspiritdrinks.Distillationiscarriedoutin
stillswhichcanbepurchasedforproductionatalllevels.Alternatively,itispossibleto
constructabasicstillusinglocallyavailablematerials(seebelow).
Traditionalstill

Awellcleanedoildrumisfittedwithapipetocarryawaythevapour,andasafetypipe.
Alcoholicliquorisplacedinsidethedrumandheated.Onvaporization,thealcoholvapouris
carriedoutofthedrumviathepipeandpassedthroughcooledairorcoolwater.The
distillatecondensesandiscollected.
Distillationismorefrequentlycarriedoutonacentralizedcommerciallevel,althoughitdoes
occuronasmallscale.
Smallstill

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Juice
Mashing Mix Heat Ferment Filter Bottle Carbonate Pasteurize
extraction/pulping
Beer

Wine

Sparkling
wine

Fruitjuice* *
Carbonated
drink

*optional

*
*

Thetableaboveoutlinestheprocessingstepsfortheproductionofarangeofrepresentative
beverages.
Equipmentrequired
Processingstage
Juicepulping/extraction
Mashing
Mixing

Equipment

Sectionreference

Fruitpress

53.1

Pulper/juicer

55.1and55.2

Fermentationbins

03.1

Mixers
Boilingpans

Boil

48.1
48.2
48.3

Fermentation

Fermentationbins/jars

03.1

Filtersandfilterpresses 29.1and29.2
Filter

Sieves

29.3

Strainers

29.4

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Strainers
Carbonation
Fillingintobottles
Pasteurize

29.4

Carbonatingequipment 06.0
LiquidfillersFunnel

28.1

Openboilingpan

48.1and48.2

Steamjacketedpan

48.3

Pasteurizer

50.0

Processing
Pulping/juiceextraction
Eitherthejuiceorthepulpfromfruitisthestartingmaterialforthemanufactureofsoftdrinks
andwines.
Pulping
Softfruits,suchaspapaya,caneasilybepulpedbyhandorbyusingapestleandmortar.A
widerangeofhandoperatedpulpersareavailable,orifelectricpowerisavailable,multi
purposekitchenscaleequipmentsuchasblenderscanbeused.Atanindustriallevel,this
processisnormallycarriedoutinpulperswhichbrushthefruitthroughasieveandejectthe
skinandstones.Smallermodelsofthismachinecanbemanufacturedandarecommercially
available.
Extraction
Juicecanbeextractedfromfruitinseveralways.
Withafruitpress,fruitmillorhandpulper/sieve.
Bycrushing/pulpingwithamortarandpestleandthensievingthroughmuslin
clothorplasticsieves.
Bysteamingthefruit.
Citrusfruitjuicesneedtobeextractedbyreaming(squeezing)thefruit,and
onceagain,comparativelysimpleequipmentisavailableforthispurpose.
Fermentation
Asmentionedpreviouslytheprocessforachievingfermentationdiffersconsiderably
dependingupontheproduct.Thefollowingparagraphsdescribethebasicprocessesforthe
productionofbothbeerandwine.
Beer
Theprocessformakingbeerisoftenreferredtoasbrewing.Brewingactuallyconsistsof
threestagesmashing,boilingandfermentation.
Mashinginvolvestheuseofhotwater(approximately68C)toextractthesolublematerials
fromthemaltedgrains.Thisproducesaliquidcalledwort.Theprocessiscarriedoutinlarge
vesselswhichmaybemadeofwoodorstainlesssteel.
Thewortisthensubjectedtoaprocessofboiling.InEuropethisprocessinvolvesthe
additionofhops.Boilingtakesplaceinasimilarvesseltothetubsusedformashingexcept
thatitisflaskshaped,withtheneckbeingelongatedinordertocarryawaythesteam,andto
preventoverboiling.
Priortoinoculation(additionoftheyeast),thewortiscooled.Thisisbecauseifaddedtothe
hotworttheyeastwouldbeinactivated.Thedegreetowhichthewortiscooleddiffers
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accordingtothetypeofbeertobeproduced.Forexample,fermentationforlageris
conductedat1215CusingtheyeastSaccharomycescarlsbergensis.Inothercases,the
yeastSaccharomycescerevisiaeisusedatatemperatureof20C.Duringfermentation,the
beerisheldinfermentationvatsorfoodgradeplasticfermentationbins.Whenfermentation
iscomplete,theprocessofpackagingwilldependonwhetherthebeeristobesoldin
draughtform(e.g.inakeg),orifitistobebottledandcorked.Ifitistobedraught,thebeer
isnotfilteredandsmallamountsofyeastareleftinitinordertokeepitslightlycarbonated.In
thecaseofbottledbeer,itisfilteredandpasteurized.
Pulpingjuice
Wine
Inwinemaking,thefruitjuiceorpulpismixedwithyeastandsugarandheldina
fermentationbin.Againthismaybemadefromfoodgradeplastic.Thisisleftforaboutten
daysduringthefirstfermentationstage.Within48hours,fermentationbecomesvigorous
andthereisfrothingandfoaming.Itisimportanttokeepthefermentationvesselclosedto
preventbacteriaandfungifrominfectingthewine.Aftertendaysthefermentingwineis
racked.Thisisdonebyscoopingituptogetherwiththesolidsusingasterilizedmug,cup,or
jug,andpassingitthroughamuslinornylonstrainingcloth.Theclothshouldhavebeen
sterilizedandrinsedbeforehand,andplacedinafunnel.Thewineistransferredintonarrow
neckedfermentationvessels.Thesemaybepluggedwithwadsofcottonwool,orspecially
designedvesselsfittedwithaairlock(knownasademijohn)maybeused.
Ideally,fermentationisthencontinuedatatemperatureof18C.Thewholeprocesscantake
fromthreeweekstothreemonths.Theendoffermentationcanbejudgedwhenitisseen
thattherearenomorebubblesrisingtothesurface.Atthisstage,thewineisfiltered,in
ordertoremovethesedimentfromthewineandthensyphonedintonarrowneckedorfood
gradeplasticvessels,andstoredfortheminimumperiodintherecipetoallowthewinetime
toclearandmaturebeforebottling.Afterthisperiodofmaturation,thewineissiphonedoff
intobottlesandsealedwithasterilizedcorkstopperorscrewcap.
Carbonation
Thisinvolvestheadditionofcarbondioxideintoadrink.Themostusualwayofachievingthis
istouseapressurizedcylinderortankwhichcontainsamixtureofwaterandcarbondioxide.
Inthecaseofsoftdrinks,thebottleisfilledtoacertainlevelwiththeflavouredsyrup,the
bottleispositionedunderthecylinderheadandcarbondioxideisreleased.Thebottlesare
cappedimmediately.Cylindersforholdingcarbondioxideareavailableforbothlargescale
productionandinsmallersizesforuseatthehouseholdlevel.
Pasteurization
Liquidproductssuchasdrinksmayneedtobepasteurizediftheyaretohaveashelflifeof
morethanafewdays.Pasteurizationinvolvesheatingtheproducttoatemperatureof80
90Candholdingitatthattemperatureforbetween0.5and5minutesbeforefillinginto
cleansterilizedbottles.Pasteurizationisbestcarriedoutoveradirectheatinstainlesssteel
pans.
Someproductscanbepasteurizedintheirbottles.Thefilledbottles,withthelidsloosely
closed,arestoodinalargepanofboilingwaterwiththewaterlevelaroundtheshoulderof
thebottle.
Thetimeandtemperaturerequiredforpasteurizationwilldependontheproductandthe
bottlesize.

Packaging
Beverageshavedifferingneedswithregardtostorage,butthemostpressingneedforall
beveragesissimplythattheyneedtobecontainedwithoutthepossibilityofleakage.
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Thetablesbelowoutlinesomeoftheotherstoragerequirementsandthesuitabilityof
differenttypesofcontainer.
Light Air Heat Microorganisms Insects
Fruitjuice,cordialetc. some *
Beer

Wine

Softdrinks

Glassbottle/jar Metalcan Plasticfilm/pot/pouch Ceramicpot

Fruitjuicecordialsetc. *

Lacquered *

Beer

Coloured

Lacquered *

Wine

Softdrinks

*
*

Glassbottlesarethemostpopularmediumforpackagingbeverages.However,owingtothe
expenseofnewglass,manyproducers(particularlythoseoperatingonasmallscale)reuse
thebottles.Thismeansthatinordertopreventcontaminationthebottlesmustbesterilized
andcleanedproperly.Simplehandheldbottlebrushescanbeusedtoensureagood
standardofcleanliness,andmechanizedbrushcleanersarealsoavailable.
Mostbeveragesarethinliquidsandcanbefilledquiteeasilybyhand,butthisisoftentoo
slowforasmallbusiness.Asimplefillercanbemadebyfittingoneormoretapstothebase
ofabucket(seediagrambelow).
Thebucketshouldbemadefromstainlesssteelforhotacidliquids(e.g.fruitjuices)orfood
gradeplasticforcoldfilling.Ironandcoppershouldnotgenerallybeusedinfoodhandling.
Thetypeofclosuresuseddependsuponthetypeofproductanditsparticularuse(e.g.for
glassbottlesdoesitneedtowithstandinternalpressurefromcarbonation).
Liquidfiller

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Thereisalargerangeofclosuresavailableforglassbottles,butthechoiceforsmallscale
producersmayoftenberestrictedbywhatislocallyavailable.
Metal'crown'capsarecommonlyusedforbeersandfruitjuices,whereassquashes,
carbonateddrinksandspiritsaremorefrequentlypackagedusingresealablemetalscrew
caps.
Wineisoftensealedwithacorkbutplasticstoppersareequallyeffectiveandcostless.
Withtechnologicaladvancesinthefieldofpackagingmaterials,largercommercial
manufacturersareusingformedwaxedcartonsforbeveragessuchasfruitjuice.Thesehave
becomeverypopularsincetheyarecheaperandmoreconvenient.Unfortunatelythecostof
theequipmentneededtoformandsealthecartonsisveryexpensiveandispresentlyoutof
reachforthesmallscaleproducer.
Cheaperalternativesincludeplasticorfoillaminatedpouches.Ifsealedcorrectly,theycanbe
averyconvenientwayofpackaging.
Beveragescanalsobecanned,butthecostofaluminiumorsteelcansisusuallyprohibitive
forsmallscaleproducers.Inaddition,thecorrecttypeoflacquerisrequiredontheinsideof
thecans,andtheyarenotreusable.

Suitabilityforsmallscaleproduction
Themanufactureofbeveragesisoneofthemostcompetitiveareasinwhichsmall
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businessescanoperate.Fruitdrinksarethemostaccessibleproduct(intechnologicalterms)
forsmallproducers,butevenwiththesethereisstrongcompetitionfromcarbonatedsoft
drinks,anditisnecessarytoestablishthatthereisademandforacertaindrinkbefore
productionstarts.
Wineproductionispossibleandcanbeverysuccessfulinsomeregions,providedthereare
nottoomanygovernmentrestrictionsonalcoholproduction.Inmostcountries,beerand
spiritproductionisdominatedbylargescale,centralizedproducers,anditisverydifficultfor
smallerproducerstocompetewiththemeffectively.Insomeareas,however,theremaybe
scopeforupgradingtraditionalbeersandspirits,byproducingauniformqualityproduct
whichisattractivelypackaged.

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