Stabilizing complex flavors

EVERYONE needs to drink ?that's no revelation. But what are we drinking? We have certainly seen a few changes in our drinking habits over the last few years. The range of products currently available in supermarkets and beverage stores bears little resemblance to the monotony of tea, coffee, sparkling mineral water and lemonade which filled the shelves a few decades ago. Healthy drinks are attracting an increasingly health-conscious clientele, flavored waters are enjoying increased popularity, and wine is no longer considered a luxury product. Something else has changed too. The requirements which manufacturers and consumers place on lifestyle drinks in terms of functional packaging, product quality and taste, have reached a very high level. The encouraging trend towards "lifestyle" drinks brings the bottling companies huge opportunities but also presents them with new challenges. Optimal product stabilization One of the key challenges is the demand for optimal product stabilization and manufacture. For example, PET is frequently incompatible with the hot bottling processes used because bottles become mis-shapen and the heat treatment process can affect properties like the vitamin content and flavor of high quality soft drinks. The addition of preservatives such as benzoic acid can upset the sophisticated balance of fine flavors in a high quality "designer drink". Problems not only arise in water to which subtle flavors are added but also soft drinks containing fruit juice. Everyone knows what an apple tastes like, and anyone who is prepared to pay more for a particular product will not want to pay good money for flavors that come across as "unnatural". One good solution to this dilemma and one that only requires a low level of investment into the bargain is the stabilizer "Velcorin", which specialty chemicals group Lanxess has been successfully marketing for 30 years, as an excellent solution, especially for situations where particularly high quality beverages are bottled cold. This dimethyldicarbonate (DMDC) additive has a very special "operating principle": In the presence of water, it breaks down into tiny volumes of methanol and carbon dioxide (both natural components of fruit juices and drinks containing fruit juice) in a matter of minutes, enabling it to inactivate the key enzymes of microorganisms that cause harm to the drink. Its impact on yeast and many molds and bacteria is outstanding. Velcorin technology is not only fast and thorough, it is also highly selective and has no impact whatsoever on the odor, taste or color of the drink to which it is added. It can be used with a wide range of different beverages and is compatible with not just PET, but all forms of packaging. The colorless liquid is added to the drink just before bottling, thereby covering all possible gaps in the process which could allow germs to enter the product even in meticulously clean environments. Preserving complex flavors Velcorin technology has been approved as an enological process in countries such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and South Africa ?in some cases for more than 15 years. More recently, it has been certified in Europe as a new enological process for the wine industry. Since May 2006, wine producers as far apart as Portugal and Greece have been able to go one step further to stabilize their wines by adding another powerful weapon to their traditional arsenal against harmful organisms. Velcorin can now be used in wine as a substitute for sorbic acids and to allow for reduced use of sulfuric acid, which can affect the complex aroma of the juice from the grapes. Metering technology Velcorin technology is simple, reliable and particularly suited to flexible bottling companies that change their systems on a frequent basis. To complement its range of products LANXESS also offers suitable metering technologNike Jordan Superfly 2017