Carbonated Water

A minimum of 8 glasses of water per day must be drunk to keep you healthy. We have also seen that many people prefer to drink water that has some type of flavor added to it. Carbonation has opened up a whole new arena of drinking liquids to satisfy almost every taste. This process forms carbonic acid which gives a slight burning sensation when we drink a can of soda.

Seltzer and sparkling water are two other names of carbon dioxide treated water to give it its effervescent quality. The gas, or fizz, that is released manifests itself in the bubbles we see in the soda or when we remove the cork of a champagne bottle. It also makes a fizzy sound that excites the champagne and the persons who drink beer.

Some interesting observations came up during researching articles on carbonation. It is said that all carbonated beveragesare not created equal. More carbon dioxide may have been added in some, depending on the result that is required. CO2 can produce toxicity in higher concentrations: 1% (10,000 ppm) will make some people feel drowsy. Concentrations between 7% to 10% cause visual and hearing dysfunction, dizziness, headache and unconsciousness within quite a few minutes to an hour.

Introducing carbon dioxide (CO2) into a beverage increases its weight. This can be proved by weighing a bottle of seltzer, then remove the cap carefully so that no liquid come out. Weigh the bottle again after elimination of the gas. There will be a significant decrease in the weight. Shaking the bottle while closed then opening it to release more CO2 will show an even greater reduction in its weight. What do you think, this the reason that obesity occurs due to the regular use of these drinks?

Club soda is also carbonated water of identical composition or it might have other minerals and additional amounts of table salt. These additives are put in to imitate the taste of homemade soda water. People believe that carbonated water contain high amounts of sodium, but this is not true. It is simply water to which carbon dioxide and nothing else has been added. Carbonated water may be used as a mixer for alcoholic beverages or can be drunk on its own to quench the thirst.

CARBONATED WATER

You can make your own homemade brand of carbonated waterwith a soda siphon. Fill the bottle with water, recap it, then attach it to a small cylinder of carbon dioxide. Only food grade cylinders should be used as other types might contain lubricants in them. Screw the cylinder to pierce it, releasing the CO2 into it. Shake the bottle after that. The bubbles are smaller in size than those in commercially made brands. Once your homemade carbonated water is made to perfection you might want to go a step further and add fruit flavors from allfreightfree.com to enhance the flavor of your drink.