Influence of the lab based simulation of truck shipments on the level of carbon dioxide in carbonated soft drinks packed in PET bottles

Abstract

Truck shipment is the main means of transportation for the majority of the agricultural and industrial production in Latin America, where road conditions are very precarious. Mexico and Brazil, two countries with considerable areas and populations, occupy the 2nd and 3rd places, respectively, in the worldwide ranking of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) consumption, which are mainly packed in PET bottles capped with plastic closures. In this packaging system, the CSD shelf-life is defined by the loss of carbon dioxide (CO2), which takes place mainly as this gas permeates through the bottle and the closure system during storage and distribution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the truck shipment effect on carbon dioxide loss from carbonated soft drinks using lab based simulation. PET bottles of different flavoured CSD were submitted to a truck vibration lab testing, and the volume of carbon dioxide dissolved in the beverage and the bottle’s main dimensions assessed before (zero time), and after 1, 2 and 3 h of vibration testing, and also 48 h after the end of the vibration test. Sampling was carried out such that it was also possible to evaluate the influence of the bottle’s position in the pallet. The results showed that truck shipment greater than 1,500 miles (2,400 km) and the bottle’s stacking position (4 layers) had little affect on the CO2 level in CSD packed in 2 L PET bottles or larger ones. In addition, the vibration testing time and the bottle’s position in the pallet did not significantly affect the bottle’s dimensions.