BEVERAGE CONCENTRATES WITH INCREASED VISCOSITY AND SHELF LIFE AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

摘要

Liquid beverage concentrates providing enhanced stability to flavor, artificial sweeteners, vitamins, and/or color ingredients are described herein. The liquid beverage concentrates achieve enhanced stability due to inclusion of one or more viscosity increasing agents. The liquid beverage concentrates described herein provide enhanced flavor stability to ingredients that are highly prone to degradation in acidic solutions despite the concentrates having a low pH (i.e., about 1.8 to about 3.1). In some approaches, the liquid beverage concentrates disclosed herein remain shelf stable for at least about three months when stored at 70F in a sealed container and can be diluted to prepare flavored beverages with a desired flavor profile and with little or no flavor degradation.