Florian Walter, MasoSine Product Manager at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions, outlines the importance of design in pumps that transfer and blend juice concentrates, sugar syrups and flavourings found in soft drinks, and what companies should look for when specifying a pump for handling beverages.
Consumer tastes in soft drinks are constantly evolving. In 2023, consumers are demanding non-alcoholic beverages that help optimise their mental performance at work, home and play, according to a recent report from market research group Mintel. Last year, Mintel found a growing emphasis on adopting an active and healthy lifestyle following a post-Covid interest in boosting immunity. In addition, the growing gaming market has spurred beverage manufacturers to increase their offerings that promote energy and focus.
The changing mix of drink options on the supermarket shelves may be a boom for consumers, but it’s a sticky situation for soft drink producers. Manufacturers need to provide a larger variety of soft drinks to stay competitive, meaning their production lines must be increasingly flexible and able to toggle between different formulations.
Pumps are integral to both the process of offloading the concentrates of different consistencies and the mixing process of the production line. In the morning, pumps that offload the thick juice concentrate from a delivery tanker may need to be cleaned and put back to work unloading the thin formula of a sugar free energy drink in the afternoon. The machines that blend these formulas also need to be ready to do double-duty.
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