Drink Wrap
ASEPTIC PACKAGING
OF BEVERAGES
By : ANURAG MISHRA - Food Safety Professional
T
he global beverage industry is
expected to reach $2 trillion
by the end of 2021 with a
CAGR of approximately 3 percent
from 2016-2021. The key drivers for
this growth are rapid urbanisation
and increasing per capita income. The
global beverage market looks exciting
with trends and opportunities for
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Also, these emerging trends have a
direct impact on the dynamics of the
industry. Trends like the use of natural
flavours/sweeteners to fulfil consumer
health requirements/concerns and
increased interest in exotic drinks
are also responsible for the bump in
the beverage industry. The beverage
industry is witnessing tremendous
growth in all segments. Initially, the
beverage world was limited to the
water, milk and juices, and then tea,
coffee, alcohol, wines, sodas and ciders
added to the list and now this family
keeps on expanding. Generally, based
on the alcohol content the beverages
are classified into the following main
categories:
Non-alcoholic Beverage: A non-
alcoholic beverage is a drink that does
not contain alcohol. In the US, a drink
which contains less than 0.5 percent
alcohol by volume is also termed as a
non-alcoholic drink, e.g. low-alcohol
beer and apple cider. Some other
examples of non-alcoholic beverages
are: milk; water; tea; soft drinks; coffee;
soda; juices; mocktails; smoothies;
energy drinks; etc.
Alcoholic Beverage: Any beverage
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July-August 2019
which contains ethanol is considered
an alcoholic beverage e.g. beer, wines,
cider, hard alcohols, cocktails, etc.
Be it an alcoholic beverage or a non-
alcoholic beverage the consumer
always wants the drink/beverage to
taste like the same as it was originally
developed even after processing. The
other important factor they look at
in the beverage is that it should stay
longer and safer with the same quality.
The limitation of most beverages is
shorter shelf life due to microorganism
contamination (spoilage) and to
encounter spoilage and increase the
shelf life a variety of processes are
being used. Also, the beverages are
preserved by using a combination of
preservatives, today which are not liked
by modern consumers due to their