Soft drinks refer to natural or artificial drinks with alcohol content below 0.5% (by mass). Also known as cool drinks and non-alcoholic drinks. Alcohol content refers to the ethanol solvent used to dissolve essence, perfume and pigment or the by-product of lactic acid beverage production.

There are many kinds of soft drinks. According to raw materials and processing technology, it can be divided into eight categories: carbonated drinks, fruit juice and its drinks, vegetable juice and its drinks, plant protein drinks, plant extract drinks, lactic acid drinks, mineral water and solid drinks. According to the nature and drinking objects, it can be divided into four categories: special drinks, health drinks, table drinks and public drinks. Countries all over the world usually adopt the first classification. But in the United States, Britain and other countries, soft drinks do not include fruit juice and vegetable juice.

Soft drink classification

1. carbonated drinks: soft drinks injected with CO2 under certain conditions, excluding those produced by fermentation, and the CO2 content in the finished product is not less than 2.0 times (the volume at 20 degrees). It can be divided into juice type, fruity type, cola type, low calorie type and other types.

2. Fruit juice (pulp) and fruit juice drinks: including fruit juice (pulp) and fruit juice drinks. Fruit juice (pulp) is a fruit juice (pulp) or mixed fruit juice product made from fresh or frozen fruits with moderate maturity. Fruit juice beverage is a fruit juice beverage product made by adding sugar solution, sour agent and other ingredients into fruit juice (pulp) products, which can be drunk directly or diluted. Divided into raw fruit juice, raw fruit pulp, concentrated fruit juice, concentrated fruit pulp fruit juice drink, pulp drink, fruit juice drink and high sugar fruit juice drink.

3. Vegetable juice beverage: a product made of one or more fresh or frozen vegetables (including edible roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, edible fungi, edible algae and ferns) by squeezing, pulping or leaching. Include vegetable juice, mixed vegetable juice, mixed fruit and vegetable juice, fermented vegetable juice and other vegetable juice drinks.

4. Milk-containing beverage: a liquid product made by adding water or other auxiliary materials to fresh milk and dairy products without fermentation or fermentation. Comprise milk beverage, lactic acid bacteria milk beverage, lactic acid beverage and/or lactic acid bacteria beverage.

5. Vegetable protein drinks: fruits, seeds, drupes and nuts of plants with high content of protein. Grinding with water according to a certain proportion, then removing slag, and then adding ingredients to make turbid liquid products. Protein content is not less than 0.5%. There are soybean milk drinks, coconut milk (juice) drinks, almond milk (dew) drinks and other plant protein drinks.

6. Bottled drinking water: water sealed in plastic bottles, glass bottles or other containers that can be directly drunk. Its raw water is allowed to use ozone, and foreign additives are not allowed. Including drinking natural mineral water and drinking pure water.

7. Tea beverage: a product made by directly filling or adding ingredients such as sugar, sour agent, edible essence, fruit juice and plant (grain) extract. The tea leaves are extracted, filtered and clarified to obtain the extract. Include tea drinks, juice tea drinks, fruity tea drinks and other tea drinks.

8. Solid beverage: a product made of sugar (or sugar-free), fruit juice (or sugar-free), plant extracts or other ingredients, which is processed into powder, granule or block for drinking after being dissolved, and its finished product contains water.

9. Special-purpose beverages: beverages with certain food fortifiers added to meet the special needs of the human body or the needs of special people. Including sports drinks, nutritious drinks and other special-purpose drinks.