If you are interested in providing new drinks, this guide can help. Here is a quick guide on how pasteurizing infused beverages works. 

The introduction of unique beverages continues in America. If you are a beverage bottler you’ve had to adapt to industry changes. One of those changes includes providing infused beverages to your consumers.  

But how do you pivot to meet the consumers’ need for pasteurizing infused beverages? If you’re a beverage maker looking to expand your knowledge and skills, read on. Discover how to pasteurize infused beverages and deliver what the customer wants! 

What Is Pasteurization? 

If you’re looking to infuse your beverage with fruit or other unique ingredients, pasteurization can help you stabilize your product. 

The pasteurization process helps protect the general population from harmful foodborne illnesses that can be a problem for bottlers. Because heat destroys bacteria, it’s easy to use it to deactivate bacteria in a liquid. 

In beverage making, pasteurization stops the growth of yeast that remains in beer post-packaging. Breweries usually only have to worry about sterilizing canned and bottled beer. But with brewing infused drinks, that changes. 

The pasteurization of bottles and cans happens after the package is sealed. This process involves running the bottler or can through hot water spray for the correct duration of time as dictated by the beverage and the bottle/can.  

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What Are the Benefits of Pasteurizing Infused Beverages? 

The benefits of pasteurization far outweigh the costs.  

Reduces Over-Carbonation  

Infusing beverages with CBD, fruit and other ingredients in beverages can affect carbonation levels. Some microorganisms produce excess CO2. Pasteurization prevents the over-carbonation by reducing the organisms before they can cause too much havoc.  

Increases Beverage Shelf-Life  

By removing microbes, pasteurization extends the beverage’s shelf-life and allows you to experiment with different infusions for longer. If you’re not sure whether your new CBD-infused beverages will sell, pasteurization can extend your consumer research longer.  

Pasteurization is especially helpful in times like these because COVID caused unpredictability in consumer behavior. Craft brewers are especially uncertain that they can stay open, let alone sell all of their non-pasteurized product. 

Pasteurization allows breweries and other beverage makers to pivot and concoct different beers to keep their customers loyal and engage new customers. It’s better to do so with a pasteurized product because it has a longer shelf life.  

Non-pasteurized beers have a shelf life of 45 to 60 days, and pasteurized beers can last up to double that. Often, pasteurized beers can last for six to nine months, which is a crucial advantage given the state of the food and beverage industry.  

A popular type of pasteurizer is the tunnel pasteurizer because it can offer high throughput and aseptic conditions do not need to be maintained downstream, as the beverage that has been pasteurize is sealed inside the bottle or can. 

Does Pasteurization Impact the Flavor? 

Many connoisseurs debate whether pasteurizing affects the taste of, say, beer. The answer depends on who you ask. For most, it’s a matter of preference. 

When you take into account that you’re infusing beer with different flavors, it’s tough to determine whether pasteurization has a significant effect on taste.  

Since many infused beers have never been taste-tested, how can you tell if there’s a difference once you pasteurize them? In any case, drinking infused beverages changes will change the flavor profile more than the pasteurization process. 

Consider Pasteurizing Infused Beverages Today  

Pasteurizing infused beverages is an excellent decision for any brewery or beverage bottler that is concerned about how infused beverages affect their product. It is also a standard procedure to use in uncertain times such as these.  

Check out PRO’s pasteurizers and keep your brewery secure and innovative!  

ABOUT US:
PRO Engineering and Manufacturing was established in 1977 by Ed and Dave Michalski as a steel fabrication shop. For more than 40 years, PRO Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. has been delivering solutions for beverage product shelf stability and consumption safety. As leading innovators in post-fill pasteurization, our skilled team offers the best in high-quality pasteurization equipment.

CONTACT US:
Phone: 414-362-1500 | Email: [email protected]