ACHEMA2009 - Speeding up the evaluation of the physical stability of beverage dispersions

Paper at

ACHEMA 2009
29th International Exhibition-Congress on Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology
11 - 15 May 2009 Frankfurt am Main / Germany

T. Sobisch, D. Lerche, LUM Berlin/Germany

Paper 7403, 05/11/09 11 a.m.

Speeding up the evaluation of the physical stability of beverage dispersions

Reduction of turbidity and phase separation is an important problem for the beverage industry. Traditional methods of stability evaluation are visual observations (over several months) and measurement of opacity, droplet size index particle size analysis during storage.
Alternatively high resolution photometric detection of transmission profiles with a LUMiReader instrument is proposed.
This technique allows for an accelerated study of beverage demixing by providing information on the extent of phase separation but also on the kinetics of the underlying processes directly in-situ. This is of great practical importance for evaluation of shelf life but is also very useful in screening of additives for more stable formulations.
The method was tested for a range of beverages with the focus on beverage emulsions.