Microbial Safety of Nonalcoholic Beverages

Nonalcoholic beverages that are usually consumed as refreshing drinks or meal replacement play a significant role in the human diet worldwide. Due to the procedures involved in manufacturing, product diversity, efficient distribution, abundance, easy accessibility, and extensive consumption, nonalcoholic beverages can be potentially considered as one of the key contributors for foodborne illnesses. Nutritionally rich beverages are ideal sources for microbial survival, growth and as such can enhance the production of toxic compounds. Despite the considerable efforts in minimizing microbial cross contamination in beverage production, the pathogenic microorganisms from environmental, animal, or human sources can easily enter into beverage food systems during any of the steps from farm to consumer. These steps can include harvesting and raw material production, manufacturing process, storage, transportation, and even retailing and household handling. While the global demands for microbial food safety increase steadily, new threats also continue to be identified regularly. Therefore, employing effective and achievable strategies for minimizing or preventing microbial food contamination issues related to widely consumed food and beverages are essential. This chapter explains the fundamental aspects of microbial food safety in nonalcoholic beverages including dairy drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, concentrates, soft drinks, hot beverages, as well as other miscellaneous beverage products. The chapter starts with the description of diversity, brief manufacturing processes, and classification of various nonalcoholic beverages, followed by sources and occurrence of pathogenic microorganisms in beverage products. The microbial safety aspects emphasis on the recent outbreaks and incidence describing their role in foodborne illnesses. Finally, the risk management and the strategies to minimize the foodborne illnesses related to nonalcoholic beverages are also discussed.