Processing conditions were standardized for a
carbonated sweetened fermented dairy beverage. The optimum
level of carbonation for the beverage filled in 200 ml
glass bottles was found to be at 50 psi pressure for 30 seconds.
The beverage samples were stored under refrigerated
conditions (7 °C) and evaluated at weekly intervals for their
sensory, chemical and microbial quality. The uncarbonated
control samples were found to keep well till 5 weeks of
storage while the carbonated beverage was acceptable up to
12 weeks of storage. Carbonation did not significantly alter
the pH of the beverage, while a marginal increase in titratable
acidity was recorded for the carbonated samples. Carbonation
was found to arrest the development of lipolysis
and proteolysis in the beverage during storage. Microbiological
investigations established the inhibition of yeast and
mold growth due to dissolved CO2.