How to solve tamarind juice sedimentation in bottle during processing
There are a lot of potential causes of sedimentation, some of which are extremely difficult to diagnose even with a decent lab, let alone remotely over the internet with very limited details ;)
Would be useful to know:
What is the full formulation of the product.
What is the spec for the tamarind - is this clear/cloudy, puree/juice/concentrate, any details as to how it is manufactured etc.
Sugar
Sodium citrate
Stabilizer , Recodan pearl
Caramel color e 150 6
Potassium sorbet
tamarind flavor
Citric acid
Tamriand pulp brix 14-15
Acidity 3.5-3.8
Ph 2.3-2.5
OK, so the pulp is the most obvious potential candidate for the sediment - it'll have plenty of insoluble fibrous material in it that naturally doesn't tend to sit perfectly in suspension.
I'm not directly familiar with Recodan, but a brief google suggest it may be targeted more towards dairy? https://www.dupontnu...ts/recodan.html
Even with the "right" stabiliser, pulps can be a challenge. How critical is the visual presentation for you? Some brands with pulpy drinks like this will simply put a note on the bottle to explain that natural ingredients may settle over time, and should be shaken before use.
If that approach isn't acceptable then have a discussion with your additives supplier to determine if you've really got the best option for this type of product, and whether it is being used correctly in application.
If you haven't done so then you could try putting it through a homogeniser and it might help a bit - certainly worth experimenting, although certainly not guaranteed to be a solution to the issue.
Determine first...
- Why is sediment even a problem? Are you getting customer complaints? Where do they stem from, and why do customers see the sediment as a problem?
- Has something changed with the product? Do you have varying levels of sediment? Did it have zero sediment before and now it has sediment?
Depending on the answers to those questions it will tell you how to tackle the "problem". I've had quite a it of experience with sediment in various beverages and 90% of the time it is a customer perception problem that needs to be changed. Sometimes you can change it, sometimes you can't. If you can then you need to look at:
- Stabilization
- Homogenization
- Filter and / or clarify
You can try stabilization, and homogenization, but I guarantee you it will not completely solve the issue. Filtering and clarifying will eliminate sediment, but typically at a higher cost than stabilization and/or homogenization.
I've got good stabilization of pulp in fruit juice drink with CMC
Maybe you can try with it.
I've got good stabilization of pulp in fruit juice drink with CMC
Maybe you can try with it.
Presumably CMC =
You can try stabilization, and homogenization, but I guarantee you it will not completely solve the issue. Filtering and clarifying will eliminate sediment, but typically at a higher cost than stabilization and/or homogenization.
I agree with this, but then the obvious trade-off is in visual presentation; some brands prefer the more "natural" (as allegedly perceived by the consumer) look of non-clarified pulpy products. Alas those same consumers are also often averse to any visual sedimentation.
Easiest solution is to therefore avoid consumers :ejut:
I've got good stabilization of pulp in fruit juice drink with CMC
Maybe you can try with it.
I've also seen successful results using carboxymethyl cellulose, but equally I'm aware of some pulpy products where it's made no significant difference.
The product matrix, chemistry, and pulp levels (as well as the nature of the pulp) seem to have a bearing and I'm not sure there is a one-size-fits all solution to stabilising this type of product, short of Ryan M's suggestion of doing away with it all together and going down the clarification/fining route...