06/05/2026
One reason clear and low-viscosity beverages can become difficult to stabilize is that there are fewer places for formulation issues to hide.
In a thicker RTD, viscosity can help mask sedimentation, soften texture changes, and reduce the perception of slight instability over time. In clearer beverage systems, those same issues become much more visible to the consumer.
Acid also becomes a bigger factor.
Many refreshment-focused beverages are formulated at lower pH levels, which can create additional pressure on proteins and other functional ingredients over shelf life. At the same time, formulators are often trying to maintain clarity, support flavor systems, reduce sugar, and deliver added functionality within the same product.
That combination creates a very narrow formulation window. This is part of why ingredient systems matter so much in innovative beverage development. It is not just about whether ingredients function independently. It is about whether they remain compatible under the conditions the finished beverage actually needs to withstand.
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