Characterisation of raw materials used in concentrates

PepsiCo work with a diverse range of ingredients including sweeteners, flavourings, acids, buffers and preservatives. These ingredients come from a wide range of global suppliers. To ensure smooth running of the manufacturing process, ingredients are required to have certain physico-chemical properties such as rheometry (flow), particle size, particle shape, crystallinity and moisture sorption behaviour.

Understanding how these properties affect the manufacturing process and the resulting product quality is critical for PepsiCo. Working with the company, the PMBRC Technology Gateway selected three key ingredients from the PepsiCo supply chain and conducted a comprehensive characterisation of their properties. Differences between suppliers were identified and these differences were mapped onto process performance. Using the data generated, the project team were able to identify the ideal quality attributes of the incoming raw materials and likewise flag potential problematic batches of incoming ingredients.