Beat the Fizz
Or how the Vapour permeability of the container changes the taste

Because different drinks containers are made from different materials the “taste” from the “fizz1” is different because carbon dioxide seeps away through the material of a plastic bottle much faster than it does through a can.  Within months of bottling a standard plastic bottle of fizzy drink loses around 15 percent of its sparkle!

This has a real effect on quality and shelf life and although the science behind it is complex Versaperm has a simple, practical solution.  

Versaperm’s vapour permeability meters are designed not only to help design better materials and containers but also to quality control the results.  This is especially important as not only materials, but also manufacturing processes, such as thermoforming, can dramatically alter the rate of CO2 loss2.  Manufacturing processes alone can increase gas losses by a factor of around four.

The only practical answer is to measure the permeability of the containers during design and quality control stages.  This helps identify many different types of manufacturing drift from specifications and thus prevents problems

Versaperm’s equipment is fast and accurate and can measure the permeability of materials, components or finished bottles, cans and cartons. Pressure and temperature can both be controlled and the systems can measure the permeability not just for carbon dioxide but the vapours which are important for non-fizzy drinks and other foodstuffs.

The Versaperm system is automated and can cope with several containers at a single time.  It needs very little re-calibration and requires, at most, minimal training.  Sensitivities depend on sensors, gasses and materials but are usually in the PPM (Parts Per Million) range.

There are other, unexpected, problems with drinks cans. Despite modern developments in can-lining, carbon dioxide dissolves the metal through microscopic holes in the coating, which affects the flavour.  Again this changes the permeability of the coating which can be measured using the same Versaperm equipment.

ENDS

1.  People don’t actually "taste" carbonation but they “feel” it the same way they feel pain. When it leaves the can or bottle and lands on the tongue CO2 bursts out of solution and mixes with water and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase to form carbonic acid. When the concentration reaches a specific level, the tongue’s pain receptors (nocireceptors) sends signals to the brain. Hence fizzy drinks leave a tingling sensation in your mouth after you have swallowed it.
   
2. Thermoforming can easily alter the vapour permeability of a container by a factor of four! – meaning four times more CO2 can escape in the same period.

Please send any sales enquiries to
Versaperm Ltd: 10 Rawcliffe House, Howarth Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1AP, UK,
e.mail: info@versaperm.com www.versaperm.com
UK Tel: +44 (01628) 777668
USA Tel +001 (617) 500-8607

For Further Press Information please contact:
Gerry Palmer @ the Palmer & Rose Partnership
Tel +44 (0) 1494 637499
e.mail gerry@palmer-rose.co.uk