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Beverages – Classification, Processing, and Types

By PMG Engineering ·

Introduction

Beverages are essential liquid food products that not only quench thirst but are deeply integrated into the culture and lifestyle of societies. The word "beverage" originates from the French term “Beivre”, meaning a drink. From essential water to complex alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, this segment plays a vital role in the food and beverage industry.

Important prerequisites of beverages:

  • Made from food-grade ingredients
  • Compliant with food safety and purity regulations

Major Categories of Beverages in the Food Industry

As per food industry consultants, beverages are broadly categorized into:

  1. Hot Drinks – Tea, coffee, hot chocolate
  2. Milk-Based Beverages – Flavored milk, plant-based milk
  3. Soft Drinks – Bottled water, carbonated beverages, squashes, juices
  4. Alcoholic Beverages – Distilled and fermented drinks

This article primarily explores the two major groups:

  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Non-Alcoholic Beverages

 

Alcoholic Beverages: Fermented and Distilled Varieties

Non-Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (Fermented)

Fermented alcoholic drinks are created via alcoholic fermentation, where yeasts convert sugars into ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat.

Common Non-Distilled Beverages:

Beer

  • Made from barley, wheat, or rice, hops, and water
  • Two types: Lager (bottom-fermented) and Ale (top-fermented)
  • Alcohol content: 4–8%
  • Calories: 28–73 kcal/100 mL
  • Process: Milling → Mashing → Filtration → Boiling → Fermentation → Clarification → Bottling & Pasteurization

These beverages contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume and range from hot drinks to carbonated products.

Hot Beverages

Tea

  • Derived from Camellia sinensis
  • Processing: Withering → CTC → Oxidation → Fixation → Rolling → Drying → Packaging
  • Types: White, Green, Oolong, Black (based on oxidation levels)

Coffee

  • Types: Arabica, Robusta, Liberica
  • Contains antioxidants and nutrients
  • Process: Harvesting → Drying → Hulling → Roasting

 

Non-Distilled Alcoholic Beverages: These are obtained by distilling fermented beverages, separating water from ethanol to concentrate alcohol.

Examples of Distilled Beverages:

Whiskey

  • Made from corn, barley, rye, or wheat
  • Alcohol content: 40–60%
  • Process: Malting → Mashing → Fermentation → Distillation → Ageing → Blending

Rum

  • Derived from fermented sugarcane molasses or juice
  • Alcohol content: 40–75%
  • Process: Fermentation → Distillation → Ageing → Bottling

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

It is a potable liquid which has either no ethyl alcohol in it or the alcohol percentage is less than 0.5% by volume. It includes a gamut of drinks from hot to cold.

These beverages contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume and range from hot drinks to carbonated products.

Hot Beverages

Tea

  • Derived from Camellia sinensis
  • Processing: Withering → CTC → Oxidation → Fixation → Rolling → Drying → Packaging
  • Types: White, Green, Oolong, Black (based on oxidation levels)

Coffee

  • Types: Arabica, Robusta, Liberica
  • Contains antioxidants and nutrients
  • Process: Harvesting → Drying → Hulling → Roasting

Soft Drinks

Ready-to-Drink (RTD)

  • Carbonated or non-carbonated drinks with sugar, acid, flavors
  • Sugar content: ~10–11%
  • Acid content: ~0.3–0.5%

Concentrated Beverages

  • Contain fruit pulp/juice
  • Flash-pasteurized and diluted before consumption

 

Milk-Based Beverages

Examples include:

  • Flavored Milk
  • Kefir
  • Milkshakes
  • Whey-based drinks

Rich in calcium, fat, and protein, these drinks are popular for their nutritional value and flavor customization.

 

Conclusion

The beverage industry is a dynamic and integral segment of the food processing sector, encompassing a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic products that cater to diverse consumer preferences and cultural traditions. From traditional fermented drinks like wine and beer to contemporary milk-based, carbonated, and health-oriented beverages, every category involves precise processing technologies, regulatory compliance, and engineering design tailored for scalability and safety.

For companies aiming to establish or upgrade their beverage production lines, working with an experienced food manufacturing consultant or food factory design expert is crucial. These professionals offer end-to-end solutions—from conceptual layout and process flow to equipment integration, hygienic design, and project management—ensuring compliance, quality, and operational efficiency.

Whether you’re developing a turnkey beverage plant or enhancing an existing facility, collaboration with a qualified food consultant or food technology expert can significantly improve product quality, shelf life, and market readiness.

References for Beverage Technology

  1. Abu-Reidah, I. Carbonated Beverages – Trends
  2. Ashurst, P. Chemistry and Technology of Soft Drinks, Wiley, 2016
  3. Varnam, A.H., et al. Beverages: Technology, Chemistry, and Microbiology
Frequently asked
How are beverages classified in the food industry?
Beverages are broadly categorised into four groups: hot drinks such as tea, coffee and hot chocolate; milk-based beverages including flavoured and plant-based milk; soft drinks covering bottled water, carbonated beverages, squashes and juices; and alcoholic beverages, which include both distilled and fermented drinks. At a higher level, the two major groups are alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages.
What defines a non-alcoholic beverage?
A non-alcoholic beverage is a potable liquid containing either no ethyl alcohol or less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. The category spans a wide range, from hot beverages such as tea and coffee to cold products including carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, concentrated beverages with fruit pulp or juice, and milk-based drinks.
What is the process flow for a beer line?
Beer production follows milling, mashing, filtration, boiling, fermentation, clarification, and finally bottling and pasteurization. It is made from barley, wheat or rice together with hops and water. Two types are produced: lager, which is bottom-fermented, and ale, which is top-fermented. Alcohol content is 4–8% and calorie value is 28–73 kcal/100 mL.
How do fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages differ?
Fermented, non-distilled alcoholic beverages such as beer are made by alcoholic fermentation, where yeasts convert sugars into ethanol, carbon dioxide and heat. Distilled beverages are obtained by distilling those fermented liquids, separating water from ethanol to concentrate the alcohol. This is why whiskey reaches 40–60% alcohol and rum 40–75%, against 4–8% for beer.
What are the typical sugar and acid levels in a ready-to-drink soft drink?
Ready-to-drink soft drinks, whether carbonated or non-carbonated, are formulated with sugar, acid and flavours. Typical sugar content is around 10–11% and acid content around 0.3–0.5%. Concentrated beverages are a separate soft drink format: they contain fruit pulp or juice, are flash-pasteurized, and are diluted before consumption.
What are the basic prerequisites a beverage product must meet?
Any beverage must be made from food-grade ingredients and must comply with applicable food safety and purity regulations. Beyond ingredients, each beverage category involves precise processing technologies, regulatory compliance and engineering design tailored for scalability and safety, which is why process flow, equipment integration and hygienic design matter from the concept stage onward.
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PMG Engineering. (2022). Beverages – Classification, Processing, and Types. PMG Engineering. https://pmg.engineering/Article/146/beverages-classification-processing-and-types/

https://pmg.engineering/Article/146/beverages-classification-processing-and-types/