Water Treatment for Fountain Beverage Systems

• 83% to 95% of a fountain beverage is water.
• Water is the single most important factor in fountain beverage quality and consistency.

People expect their favorite cold beverage to taste exactly the same every time they drink it; whether it comes from a can or is mixed at the fountain. Stringent processing controls assure the quality and consistency of the syrups and flavorings used in post-mixed beverages which typically represent the highest profit margin product in quick-serve and casual dining restaurants, and convenience stores. Bottling plants of all major brands of beverages use a wide array of water treatment technologies to “standardize” water so that their beverages taste the same wherever they’re served. Let’s look at three types of contaminants that can be problematic and the OptiPure water treatment technologies used to deal with them:

1. Dirt & Sediment
Fine silt, dirt, rust and other debris causes wear on carbonator pumps and can damage solenoids and valves. Fine suspended particulates are also said to cause carbonation to ‘release’ more rapidly causing flat beverages. OptiPure Filtration systems utilize gradient density-depth filtration. The larger dirt particles are trapped in the outer layers of the filter while smaller particles are trapped in the deeper layers as the gradient becomes denser. This gives OptiPure filters high dirt-load capacity and longer life without compromising water pressure and flow to equipment.

2. Chlorine/Chloramine Taste & Odor
The primary purpose of chlorine is to kill pathogenic organisms and make our water safe to drink. With some surface water supplies ammonia is combined with chlorine to reduce the production of disinfectant by-products (DBP’s) that occurs when chlorine combines with naturally occurring organic matter. Chlorine and chloramine disinfectants protect us from waterborne disease and other health risks, but they also give water an offensive taste and odor, and can ruin carbonated and non-carbonated post-mixed beverages. OptiPure filtration systems include high quality activated carbon to reduce chlorine and chloramines. The rating (gallons/liters) for most OptiPure beverage systems indicates their “capacity” for chlorine reduction. For chloramine reduction OptiPure offers systems with a special type of activated carbon and longer contact time with the media.

3. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
TDS is made up of an array of contaminants (primarily minerals) that are dissolved in water. The type and amount of dissolved solids can vary significantly from one location to another. TDS does not typically present a problem for beverages, but ‘very high’ levels of dissolved solids can interfere with blending or extraction process’ and ruin beverages. OptiPure AMS systems can effectively remove excessive or problematic minerals. AMS (Advanced Membrane Separation) technologies are specially designed reverse osmosis systems that take out excessive or problematic minerals. OptiPure AMS systems include integrated mineral addition or filtered blending features to produce water with the correct TDS content for post-mix beverage applications.

The system that you select must meet your equipment and usage requirements. It is essential that the capacity (in gallons/liters) and flow rate (gallons/liters per minute) of the filtration system meets your real-world water usage requirements. OptiPure offers a range of water treatment systems with different performance characteristics to meet the demands of any fountain beverage requirements.

For a detailed guide to understanding water-related problems with Fountain Beverage applications and how to select the best system for your application, click here and request OptiPure’s ‘Fountain Beverage Water Filtration Application Guide’

The OptiPure System Application Guide & Product Catalog provides basic information about OptiPure Water Treatment Technologies and an easy-to-use system selection guide. Fountain beverage systems and ‘combination’ applications are explained in detail. Contact your OptiPure Dealer or OptiPure for assistance with your application requirements.