FSSAI Drafts Revised Standards for Synthetic Syrup Sharbat

Through a notification dated 12 March 2019 the FSSAI has drafted amendments in the existing standards for Synthetic Syrup or Sharbat so as to bring in more clarity and differentiate them from other similar products. Further under the regulation 2.3.21 in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011,relating to standards for Squashes, Crushes, Fruit Syrups/Fruit Sharbats and Barley Waterthe words Sharbat and Synthetic Syrup mentioned therein have been removed from this regulation.

FSSAI has also invited suggestions and objections which must reach the FSSAI by 18 April 2019. These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2019.They shall come into force on the date of their final publication in the official Gazette.

Draft Regulations

The FSSAI has made amendments to Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, inRegulation 2.3. relating to “FRUIT & VEGETABLE PRODUCTS”in the sub-regulation 2.3.21 “Squashes, Crushes, Fruit Syrups/Fruit Sharbats and BarleyWater” The previous title of the regulation is proposed to be changed to

2.3.21 Squashes, Crushes, Cordial and Barley Water

• Squashes and Crushes means the product prepared from unfermented but fermentable fruitjuice/puree or concentrate clear or cloudy, obtained from any suitable fruit or several fruits byblending it with nutritive sweeteners, water and with or without salt, aromatic herbs, peel oil andany other ingredients suitable to the products.
• Cordial means a clear product free from any cellular matter, obtained by blendingunfermented but fermentable clarified fruit juice with nutritive sweeteners & water with orwithout salt and peel oil and any other ingredients suitable to the products
• Barley water means the product prepared from unfermented but fermentable fruit juice byblending it with nutritive sweeteners, water with or without salt and peel oil and barley starch notless than 0.25 percent and any other ingredient suitable to the product.
• The product may contain food additives permitted in these regulations including Appendix A.
• Theproduct shall conform to the microbiological requirements given in Appendix B.

 The product shall comply with the following Standards

• The co5. The container shall be well filled with the product and shall occupy not less than 90.0percent of the water capacity of the container, when packed in the rigid containers. The watercapacity of the container is the volume of distilled water at 20ºC which the sealed container iscapable of holding when completely filled.

The FSSAI has also revised the regulation related to “Synthetic Syrup or Sharbat” (2.3.24). the regulation will now be changed as follows.

2.3.24 Sharbat and Synthetic syrup

Sharbat shall contain minimum 25 percent of juice or extract of fruit or vegetable or nut or herbor flower or spice, alone or in combination.It shall be free from burnt or objectionable taints, flavours, artificial sweetening agents, extraneousmatter and crystallization. Sharbat shall also meet the following requirement

Synthetic Syrup shall be obtained by blending syrup made from sugar, dextrose or liquid glucose.It shall be free from burnt or objectionable taints, flavours, artificial sweetening agents, extraneousmatter and crystallization. Synthetic Syrup shall also meet the following requirement: