Gellan Gum Beverage Formula: A Basic Clear Drink

A clear beverage can look simple, but keeping it stable during storage is not always easy. Gellan gum can be used at a very low level to help keep fine particles suspended and reduce sedimentation without creating a noticeable gel.

Here is a simple starting formula for a clear beverage.

Basic Formula

For 100 kg of finished beverage:

Water: q.s. to 100 kg
Sugar: 5–8 kg
Gellan gum: 30 g
Citric acid: as required
Flavor: as required
Other ingredients: as required

The starting gellan gum concentration is 0.03%.

That means:

30 g gellan gum per 100 kg beverage

How to Make It

First, mix the gellan gum thoroughly with part of the sugar.

This helps disperse the fine gellan gum powder and reduces the risk of lumps forming when it is added to water.

Add the dry premix gradually into the water while mixing.

Continue mixing and heat the system to approximately 85–90°C to properly hydrate the gellan gum.

After hydration, add the remaining ingredients according to the requirements of the particular beverage.

The final pH should then be adjusted to the target value for the product.

After processing, cool the beverage and check its appearance, viscosity, particle suspension, and stability.

How Much Gellan Gum Should I Try?

0.03% is only a starting point.

For product development, it is often better to run several small trials:

0.01% → 0.02% → 0.03% → 0.04% → 0.05%

For 100 kg of beverage, this means:

10 g → 20 g → 30 g → 40 g → 50 g

Compare the samples after processing and during storage.

The best concentration is not necessarily the highest one. The goal is to obtain sufficient stability while keeping the beverage clear and maintaining the desired mouthfeel.

What If the Beverage Is Too Thick?

Reduce the gellan gum concentration.

For example, if 0.05% produces too much structure, try 0.03% or 0.04%.

Changing the dosage gradually makes it easier to identify the suitable level.

What If Sedimentation Still Occurs?

Increasing the gellan gum level is one possible solution, but it is not always the answer.

Check the:

* hydration temperature
* mixing efficiency
* pH
* mineral content
* ingredient sequence
* particle size
* storage conditions

A beverage may behave differently even when the same amount of gellan gum is used.

Practical Starting Point

For a new clear beverage, a useful first trial is:

100 kg beverage + 30 g gellan gum

Hydrate at approximately 85–90°C under good agitation and evaluate the finished beverage after cooling.

If the result is not satisfactory, test a small dosage range around 0.02–0.05% rather than changing the entire formula at once.

This is a starting formula for product development, not a universal commercial formula. The final dosage should always be determined using the actual beverage ingredients, water quality, pH, processing equipment, and storage conditions.