Pop goes the sparkler - Tropicana Sparkler exploding bottles

FDA Consumer, June, 1991 by Marian Segal, Ruth Weisheit, Rebecca Williams

Plumbing problems can lead to all kinds of dilemmas, but one that Tropicana Products, Inc., of Bradenton, Fla., did not anticipate was exploding Sparkler bottles.

Tropicana Sparkler is a carbonated beverage sold in the United States and abroad. In the manufacturing process, a fruit flavor--Tropical Orange, Cranberry Orchard, Wild Berry, or Golden Grapefruit--and carbon dioxide are added to purified water. The product is bottled in 23-ounce and 10-ounce glass containers.

During the bottling operation, sparge water--purified water used to lubricate and rinse equipment used in food production--was used on the filling and capping machine. Using water for this purpose instead of oil is standard operating practice in the food industry. It must be of food-grade quality to prevent product contamination.

In December 1990, Tropicana began to receive reports of exploding bottles. On Jan. 11, the firm issued a press release to major media services and initiated a voluntary recall of all Sparklers in distribution and in stock--more than 10 million bottles. The firm's regional sales managers and salespersons coordinated with some 155 food brokers to retrieve the product from retail and wholesale outlets.

On Jan. 13, Tropicana discovered the source of the problem. The firm had installed a hot water heater in the sparge system the previous October. During installation, the system became contaminated with yeast, and the Sparklers, in turn, were contaminated during filling and capping. With time, the yeast caused fermentation, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide and pressure in the bottles. The result: exploding bottles. Tropicana corrected the plumbing problem the day after it learned the cause.

FDA's Orlando district office inspected the Bradenton plant from Jan. 15 through 25 and found no remaining problems. The firm will destroy all returned products. FDA has received no reports of injuries.