General FSSAI Regulatory Requirements of Juice-based Non-Alcoholic Beverages

1. Classification of Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Non-alcoholic beverages refer to non-intoxicating drinks or sweet carbonated drinks, which doesn’t have any liquor percentage or in other words yeast is not introduced to convert sugar into alcohol during the fermentation process.

• Non-Alcoholic drinks come in different varieties, such as chilled, hot, bottled, canned or open liquids. The bottles or cans drinks are hygienically packed. e.g. aerated, mineral water, juices, squashes, syrups, smoothies, shakes etc. to be consumed as and when required.

• Many ingredients are added to non-alcoholic drinks to for their organoleptic profiles, preservation and functional benefits listed as below:

– Sugar, liquid glucose, dextrose monohydrate, invert sugar, fructose, honey, fruits and vegetables;
– Extractives and permitted flavouring, colouring matter;
– Preservatives, emulsifying and stabilizing agents, Citric acid, fumaric acid and sorbitol, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid etc.;
– Edible gums such as guar, karaya, carob bean gum, furcellaran, tragacanth, gum ghatti, edible gelatin, albumin, licorice and its derivatives;
– Salts of sodium, calcium and magnesium, vitamins, Caffeine not exceeding 145 PPM (parts-per-million), Ester gum (Glycerol ester of wood resin) not exceeding 100 PPM (parts-per-million), Gellan Gum at GMP level and quinine salts not exceeding 100 PPM (parts-per-million) (expressed as quinine sulphate);
– It may also contain Saccharin Sodium not exceeding 100 ppm or Acesulfame-K not exceeding 300 PPM or Aspartame (methyl ester) not exceeding 700 PPM or sucralose not exceeding 300 PPM or Neotame not exceeding 33 PPM.

2. Types of Fruit Based Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Fruit-based Beverages (Canned, Bottled, Flexible Pack And / Or Aseptically Packed). These include fruit juices, fruit nectars, Ready to Serve Fruit Beverages and Carbonated Fruit Beverages.

2.1 Fruit Juices

• Thermally Processed Fruit Juices means unfermented but fermentable product, pulpy, turbid or clear, intended for direct consumption obtained by a mechanical process or suitable means from sound, ripe fruit or the flesh there of and processed by heat, in an appropriate manner, before or after being sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage;

• The juice may have been concentrated and later reconstituted with water maintaining the essential composition and quality factors;

• Non-Thermally Processed or Cold-pressed Fruit Juices may undergo non-thermal processing in an appropriate manner;

• Product shall maintain the essential physical, chemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of the fruit from which it comes;

• It may contain salt, spices, herbs and condiments and their extracts and nutrients (vitamins, minerals);

• The product shall have the characteristic colour, aroma and flavour of the fruit from which it has been prepared;

• The product shall conform to the microbiological requirement.

2.2 Fruit Nectars

• Thermally Processed Fruit Nectars means an unfermented but fermentable pulpy or non-pulpy, turbid or clear product intended for direct consumption made from fruit singly or in combination, obtained by blending the fruit juice /pulp/fruit juice concentrate and/ or edible part of sound, ripe fruit(s), concentrated or unconcentrated with water, nutritive sweeteners and any other ingredient appropriate to the product.
• It may be processed by heat, in an appropriate manner, before or after being sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage.
• Lemon and Lime juice may be added as an acidifying agent.
• Fruit Nectars Min. Product requirement listed below

2.3 Ready to Serve Fruit Drinks/Beverages

Thermally Processed Fruit Beverages / Fruit Drink/ Ready to Serve Fruit Beverages

• Means an unfermented but fermentable product which is prepared from juice or Pulp/ Puree or concentrated juice or pulp of sound mature fruit;
• The substances that may be added to fruit juice or pulp are water, peel oil, fruit essences and flavours, salt, sugar, invert sugar, liquid glucose, milk, etc.;
• Any other ingredients appropriate to the product;
• It may be processed by heat in an appropriate manner before or after being sealed in a container, so as to prevent spoilage;
• The product may contain food additives permitted in these regulations;
• The product shall conform to the microbiological requirements.

2.4 Carbonated Fruit Beverages or Fruit Drinks

• Carbonated fruit beverages (and fruit drinks): Any beverage or drink which is prepared from fruit juice and water or carbonated water;
• It may contain sugar, dextrose, invert sugar or liquid glucose either in single or in combination, peel oil and fruit essences;
• It may also contain any other ingredients appropriate to the products;
• The product shall have the colour, taste & flavour characteristic of the product & shall be free from extraneous matter;
• In case the quantity of fruit juice is below 10.0 per cent. but not less than 5.0 per cent. (2.5 per cent in case of lime or lemon), the product shall be called ‘carbonated beverages with fruit juice’;
• In such cases, the requirement of TSS (Total Soluble Solids) shall not apply and the quantity of fruit juice shall be declared on the label.

5. Process Flow Charts for Non-Alcoholic Beverages

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