Detailed Explanation of the Production Technology of Goji Berry Cola Beverage

Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) belongs to the Solanaceae family of shrubs and is a precious medicinal material renowned both in China and abroad. In China, it is mainly distributed in Ningxia, Gansu, **, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and other provinces. Traditional medicine holds that goji berries have effects such as "moistening the lungs, clearing the liver, nourishing the kidneys, tonifying qi, promoting essence, supporting yang, replenishing deficiency in the elderly, strengthening bones and muscles, dispelling wind, and improving eyesight," making them a good tonic medicine. Modern medicine holds that the goji polysaccharides contained in goji berries have the function of "regulating and enhancing human immune function," making them the best raw material for developing functional foods.

In addition to good medical and health benefits, goji berries also contain various nutritional components. Determinations show that every 100g of goji berries contains 5.8g protein, 1g fat (linoleic acid), 155mg calcium, 67mg phosphorus, 3.4mg iron, 3.96mg carotene, 0.23mg vitamin B1, 0.33mg vitamin B2, 1.7mg nicotinic acid, 3mg vitamin C, and 31.44g carbohydrates. In addition, they also contain betaine and other substances, making them a rare resource that serves both as medicine and food.

Using pest-free, non-rotting dried goji berries as raw material, a goji berry cola beverage made through scientific methods combines the unique aroma of both goji berries and cola beverages with a refreshing tingling mouthfeel, and has good nutritional and health functions.

1. Raw Materials and Main Equipment

1) Raw materials: goji berries, white granulated sugar, composite stabilizer, composite flavoring, composite sweetener, etc., all of which are food-grade products available on the market.

2) Main equipment: pulping machine, jacketed kettle, extraction tank, sterilization machine, filling machine, etc.

2. Process Flow

Goji berries → removal of foreign matter → washing → soaking → juicing → sterilization → CO2 → well water or tap water → sand rod filtration → water purifier → sodium ion exchanger → ultrafiltration → ultraviolet sterilization → white granulated sugar → sugar dissolving → filtration → ingredient mixing → filling → capping → labeling → boxing and warehousing

3. Key Operating Points

1) Preparation of goji berry juice: Select high-quality goji berries free from pests, diseases and mold. After washing, add 5 times their volume of boiling water, cover and soak for 30min. Pulp with a pulping machine to facilitate rapid extraction, then extract in a jacketed kettle at 70-80°C for 12h. Filter through a 200-mesh screen, then repeat the extraction once. Mix the two batches of liquid to obtain the original goji berry juice.

2) Blending: Through experimental research, the optimal formula selected for the goji berry cola beverage is: goji berry juice 10%, white granulated sugar 5%, composite sweetener 1%, vitamin C 0.2, quality improver A 0.025%, composite stabilizer 0.1%, composite flavor 0.15%, with softened water added to 100%. When blending, first prepare the sugar into syrup, then add the prepared goji berry juice, syrup and cold water in proportion into the preparation tank for blending. Pump the prepared slurry into the mixer for thorough mixing with CO2 gas.

3) Filling and capping: Fill the mixed slurry through a filling machine under isobaric conditions into washed and sterilized easy-open cans, glass bottles or polyester bottles, then cap and seal. To ensure product quality, the entire operation process must strictly control the workshop environmental hygiene. The filling workshop must be separately partitioned, and the air must be purified.

4) Labeling, boxing and warehousing: Label the sealed finished products, then box and warehouse them separately.

4. Product Quality Indicators (formulated according to GB/T10792-1995)

1) Sensory requirements:

Color: dark brown.

Aroma: has the delicate fragrance of goji berries and the aroma of cola nut, coordinated and soft.

Taste: normal flavor, no off-flavor, pure taste, refreshing, pleasantly sweet and sour, with a cooling tingling mouthfeel.

Appearance: transparent, no sediment, no suspended matter.

Impurities: no visible foreign impurities.

2) Physicochemical indicators:

Soluble solids % (20°C, refractometer method) ≥9.0

Carbon dioxide gas capacity (multiples of dissolved gas at 20°C) times ≥3.0

Total acid (calculated as phosphoric acid) g/l ≥0.45

Sweetener according to GB2760 provisions

Colorant same as above

Preservative same as above

Arsenic (calculated as As) mg/l ≤0.2

Lead (calculated as Pb) mg/l ≤0.3

3) Hygiene indicators

Total bacterial count CFU/mL ≤100

Coliform bacteria CFU/100mL ≤6

Pathogenic bacteria must not be detected.