Beverage Bottle

A beverage bottle is a rigid container with a "mouth" and neck that is narrower than the body. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum, or other impervious materials, and store liquids such as water, milk, soft drinks, beer, wine, and spirits. A glass bottle is a bottle molded from glass. Glass bottles can vary considerably in size and shape. The history of glass can be traced back to at least 12,000 BC where glass coated objects have been found. Because glass manufacturing is now a highly mechanized process and, modern bottles are not hand-blown as they were in the past, millions of glass bottles are created worldwide every day. Glass bottle manufacturing occurs in several stages. It begins with the raw material, then melts; then it under goes annealing, cooling, and physical inspection by both machines and lasers for imperfections. Glass bottles undergo another physical inspection, pass through a quality control stage, and are packaged. Lamination is an added step in glass manufacturing because it strengthens the glass. Laminated safety glass, for example, is stronger than regular glass because it has an added layer of plastic over the glass. When a non-laminated bottle drops, the glass breaks and sends shards and pieces of glass everywhere. When a laminated glass bottle drops, the glass still breaks, but the outer layer of plastic contains the broken pieces of glass. Plastic bottles exist by a variety of molding techniques. The process depends on the types of materials used. Carbonated beverage and water bottles contain Polyethylene terephthalat (PET). PET possesses very good alcohol and essential oil barrier properties, generally good chemical resistance, and a high degree of impact resistance and tensile strength. Additionally, the orienting process serves to improve gas and moisture barrier properties and increase strength. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is the most widely used resin in plastic bottles. This material is economical, impact resistant, and provides a good moisture barrier. HDPE is compatible with a wide range of products including acids and caustics, however it is not compatible with solvents. HDPE is an FDA-approved food grade material that is naturally flexible and translucent; the addition of color will make HDPE opaque, but not glossy. Low Density Polyethylene: LDPE is similar to HDPE in composition, but it is less rigid and generally less chemically resistant than HDPE. LDPE is noticeably more translucent, and in squeeze applications, a very important ingredient. LDPE is significantly more expensive than HDPE.

Diet Drinks

Diet drinks, sometimes known as light drinks and are sugar-free, naturally or artificially sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages typically marketed to health-conscious people, diabetics, athletes, and other people who want to lose weight or stay fit. Many diet drinks are carbonated. Aspartame, known by the brand name NutraSweet, is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners. Many Americans choose to consume soft drinks morning, noon, and night. They are tasty drinks, available everywhere, and are relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, for most Americans, soft drinks are also a prime source of extra calories that can contribute to weight gain. Using artificial sweeteners in soft drinks instead of sugar or high fructose corn syrup offers an advantage by sidestepping common problems associated with weight gain or diabetes. Artificial sweeteners contain zero carbohydrates, no fat, and no protein, so they do not directly influence caloric intake or blood sugar levels. The bottom line is switching from sugar-sweetened soft drinks to diet drinks cuts calories. The FDA approves the use of five artificial sweeteners. Gram for gram, each one is sweeter than sugar. Approved sweeteners include: aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), which is 180 times sweeter than sugar; acesulfame-K (Sunett, Sweet One), which is 200 times sweeter than sugar; saccharin (Sweet'N Low, Necta Sweet), which is 300 times sweeter than sugar; sucralose (Splenda) which is 600 times sweeter than sugar; and neotame which is 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Tooth Decay Regular soft drinks contain a lot of sugar, which can cause cavities. Diet soda is naturally or artificially sweetened and does not necessarily contribute to cavities. Soda pop is a sweetened, acidic, often caffeinated, carbonated drink. Regular soda pop is sweet because of different kinds of sweeteners whereas "diet" pop is sweet because of added natural or artificial sweeteners. Every year the average American consumes 45 gallons of soda. Adults are just as prone to tooth decay, despite well-developed and well-calcified tooth enamel. Soft drinks can be double-trouble for teeth. More than sugar, the acids in many popular soft drinks contribute to tooth enamel decay and make teeth more prone to rot.