The beverage industry is not static. It continues to change, evolving ever onwards in the search for better products and faster, more efficient and generally better ways of producing it. This is not new. When it comes to how to be innovative, beverage producers have done so perhaps beginning with the invention of the first beverage carbonator.
The Fizz in Sodas and Other Drinks
The fizz effect in beverages is the result of the addition of carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact, it is the most commonly employed industrial gas in the industry today. While carbon may occur naturally, today’s beverages obtain that fizzy taste through the aid of a carbonator. This piece of equipment adds CO2 to a liquid. The vaporized gas under pressure is mixed into the temperature-controlled water.
Modern carbonators accomplish this task quickly and automatically. The series of controls, often controlled by a computerized system, ensure the levels of CO2 are specific to the drink formulation. They will vary for certain soft drinks including carbonated water and juices as well as various sodas. Yet, the technology of today’s carbonation system has gone a long way since its humble beginning.
Dr. Joseph Priestly and Johann Jacob Schweppe
Carbonated drinks, particularly water, occur naturally in springs and well. Up until the late 18th century, this healthy drink was only available with the help of nature. Dr. Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) changed all that in 1772 when he found a way to reproduce spring water mechanically. His work established the basis for further developments and, under the skillful hands of watchmaker and amateur scientist Johann Jacob Schweppe (1740-1821), the first mechanical beverage carbonator came into existence in 1783.
The device was hand-operated. In fact, the operator had to turn a crank. It was the first of several changes. Schweppe called his system the Geneva System and soon set up a production facility to produce a line of beverages later moving the plant to Drury Lane in London to begin mass production of his brand of beverages in 1792. To avoid the loss of the fizz – of which he manufactured three different strengths, he even designed a special type of bottle.
It was not until the century has ended that another advance took place in carbonation. John “The Soda King” Matthews (1808-1870) invented a new system. It could carbonate water in the bottle or as it was pumped through and out of a soda fountain. In the United States, the soda fountain quickly became the popular methods for individuals to obtain their fizzy fix from then on into the 1950s and early 1960s.
Beverage Carbonator: From Manual to Automated
However, the mode of delivery was slowly changing. The concept of carbonation being healthy altered towards refreshing. Manual carbonators became automated ones as mass production became common in the early 20th century. By the end of World War II, soft drinks were not healthy but refreshing. People drank them to “quench their thirst.” Major name brands were competing for market shares.
In the centuries that have followed the invention of the carbonator, automated systems have become the norm. Inline carbonators are available. Computerized systems have taken over much of the production line. Today’s beverage carbonator continues to evolve as new technology strives to make drinks that are unique and appealing, better, faster efficiently and more cost-effectively.