Mr. Mohamed has more than 10 years of experience in the beverage industry. One day in 2022, he approached us and wanted to make a soda production line. In this case, we have to consider a carbonated mixer.
Initially, we locked the packaging as a plastic bottle and positioned the beverage as a carbonated energy drink. Hopefully, this drink can bring energy and deliciousness to young people.
What Machines We Need For The Carbonated Drink Line
To make a plastic bottle carbonated beverage production line, the necessary machines are plastic bottle blowing machine, carbonated beverage filling machine, carbonated mixer/beverage mixing machine, freezing machine(chiller), labeling machine, bottle warmer machine, packaging machine, inkjet printer, flat conveyor and air conveyor system for connection. If you are opening a brand new beverage factory, you will also need water treatment, beverage blending system, air compressor system, steam boiler and other equipment.
Carbonated Mixer-The Important Machine In Filling Line
Introduction Of CO2 Content
Mr. Mohamed had high requirements for the gas content of the drink. He wanted to make a drink that was as full of gas as Coca-Cola. Regarding the gas content, we mentioned it in the previous article “How To Choose A Carbonated Mixer?“.
At a pressure of 0.1 Mpa and 20°C, the number of CO2 volumes that can be dissolved in 1 volume of liquid is called the CO2 content times. For example, a CO2 times of 3 indicates that at a pressure of 0.1 Mpa and 20°C, 1 volume of liquid dissolves 3 volumes of CO2.
In Europe, the unit of gas content is g/L. That is, how many gram of CO2 can dissolve in one liter of liquid. The conversion formula is × CO2 content times 1.838 g/L. For example, the CO2 content times is 3 = 3× 1.838 = 5.514 g/L. Generally speaking, the CO2 content times is greater than 3, which we call a high content. Anything less than 3 is a low content, and the minimum should not be less than 1.5.
How To Decide The CO2 Content
But the CO2 content factor is not as high as possible. We need to determine the CO2 content of the beverage according to the characteristics of the beverage or the recommendations of the formulator.
If the CO2 is too high, the sweet and sour taste of the drink will be weakened; If it is low, the irritation is too mild, and it loses the taste of carbonated drinks. Therefore, there should be low CO2 content for the beverages with complex flavors or special flavors, to avoid excessive CO2 damage the original aroma of the drink.
Citrus-based carbonated beverages, in particular, are more susceptible to CO2 effects on their flavor. The average juice type soda on the market is around 2.5. If it is a drink without a special aroma, such as cola, sprite, soda, etc., the gas content can be 3~4. Coca-Cola’s CO2 content is close to 4.
Therefore, we preliminarily determined that the CO2 content of the beverage is 4. Through communication with Mr. Mohamed, we learned that this drink has a high sugar content, and the they will drink is pre-mix the drink, and then mix it with CO2.
According to this characteristic, we decided to use a double-barrel high-content carbonated mixer, and the mixing temperature is about 2 Celsius degrees.
We Decided To Use 2 Barrel Carbonated Mixer
The double-barrel high-content carbonated mixer contains a variety of valves and instrumentation such as a degassing tank, a finished tank, a plate heat exchanger, a CO2 mixing unit, and a proportional valve.
Degassing System Is Important To The Carbonated Mixer
Pre-prepared beverages are first fed into the degassing tank. The vacuum pump will suck the air from the beverage to the maximum extent possible in preparation for the subsequent CO2 mixing. Vacuum degassing is a crucial step. The more air in a beverage unit volume, the less space is left for CO2. Only the more air per unit volume we can remove, the more CO2 we can integrate into the beverage. Therefore, we need large vacuum degassing tanks and high-efficiency vacuum pumps, to ensure the effect of degassing.
How Does The Carbonated Mixer Work?
Feed the degassed beverage into the plate for heat exchange, where we can cool the beverage to about 2 degrees Celsius. When the pressure is constant, the lower the water temperature, the higher the solubility of CO2. When the degassing level and temperature are up to standard, the beverage is sprayed in the mixing tube in the form of a mist and is in full contact with the CO2. The CO2 is completely encapsulated by the beverage and finally enters the finished carbonated beverage tank for filling.
Touch Screen Shows Everything Of Carbonated Mixer
The touch screen can show the entire mixing process of the carbonated mixer. Customers can observe the real-time pressure and temperature of each step. The user only needs to set the parameters and the machine will run automatically. If the pressure or temperature is not up to standard, the machine stops mixing and gives an alarm.
Now we has sent the carbonated mixer, and Mr. Mohamed is very satisfied with it.
The mixed drinks also met Mr. Mohamed’s requirements. The carbonated mixer also regulates the amount of CO2 mixing. If the customer needs to produce carbonated beverages with rich flavors, the CO2 content can also be reduced.
In a later article, we will continue to introduce other machines in Mr. Mohamed’s beverage production line. Please follow us to get new content to share promptly.
