Protecting Flavors, Colors, and Actives

Our processing system provides maximum safety while preserving functional ingredients, flavors, and colors in your beverage. This gives your beverage the taste, color, and performance that define a premium brand:
        Bright flavor, fresh aroma, and true-to-nature color
        Maintained nutritional value
        Reliable long-term shelf stability

As one reviewer told us: “You have an excellent, professional setup—it places your operation at the high end of beverage safety and quality control.” 

Dual-Mode Processing
We developed, in consultation with our Process Authority Deibel Laboratories, a system for maximum safety and shelf life while maintaining the potency of functional ingredients and ensuring that volatile flavor compounds and color pigments are not destroyed. The system uses HTST (High-Temperature Short-Time) pasteurization followed by one of two validated methods: 

    (1) Immediate hot-filling with container inversion, or
    (2) Crash cooling and cold-filling with preservative. 

Here is a detailed explanation of the scientific rationale behind this approach and the benefits, covering food safety, nutrient retention, and flavor and color preservation that allows us to run a broad SKU range (fruit-based, tea-based, botanical, functional) while maintaining uniform shelf life and safety.

Microbial Safety
HTST (typically 185–200°F for 20 seconds) delivers a minimum 5–log reduction (99.999%) of pathogens including Salmonella,  E. coli and Listeria, and vegetative contaminants such as yeast and mold, while keeping heat exposure time to a minimum*. Because the beverages are acidic (≤ 4.1 for hot fill or ≤ 3.3 for cold fill), C. botulinum spores are already inhibited. This means a harsh process of sterilizing a higher pH beverage is not required. 

This process achieves:
        Commercial sterility
        Shelf life of minimum 24 months verified by our Process Authority
        No cooked taste or discoloration from extended heat exposure.

Nutrient Preservation
The brief heat exposure minimizes loss of heat-sensitive nutrients and an immediate hot-fill, or crash cooling with cold-fill, prevents further oxidation, helping to preserve antioxidants, vitamins, and other functional ingredients.

Retention of Flavors
Heat is the main cause of flavor loss of volatile compounds such as terpenes, aldehydes, esters, and essential-oil notes. Our system protects these delicate aromas through three key controls:
        Short residence time in pasteurizer reduces total thermal load
        Immediate hot filling, or crash cooling and cold filling, stops flavor drift and caramelization
        Controlled headspace management preserves top-notes by limiting vapor loss

The result is a clean, fresh, “just-made” flavor that remains stable for months—a clear sensory advantage over beverages exposed to prolonged batch or tunnel pasteurization.

Chemical and Physical Stability
Controlling pH at ≤ 4.1 for hot-fill or ≤ 3.3 for cold-fill naturally suppresses microbial growth and enzymatic browning. At pH ≤ 3.3, preservatives like potassium sorbate further enhance microbial protection. 

Closed HTST processing minimizes oxygen exposure, reducing oxidation and maintaining color stability. By avoiding prolonged heat, the system prevents haze formation and flavor changes in teas and botanicals—keeping the beverage clear, bright, and fresh-tasting.

FDA Compliant Processes
Both processing methods are validated by a Process Authority to ensure full FDA compliance with 21 CFR 108/114 and documented commercial sterility:
    Hot-fill plus inversion is a straightforward method with built-in closure sterilization that eliminates the need for aseptic filling.   
    Crash-cool with preservative allows us to use of PET and HDPE bottles without heat deformation.

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* The required hold time at 185ºF to reach a 5-log reduction (99.999% kill) is only seven seconds. Our 20-second hold gives us a buffer that provides a strong safety margin while maintaining a very low heat exposure compared to the longer heat stress and thermal damage from batch or tunnel pasteurization. The actual microbial kill at this temperature/hold time is
14-log—99.999999999999%.