How to decarbonate ("make flat") beverages more quickly?

Question

For medical reasons, I am hoping to determine a method I can easily use to decarbonate beverages that I enjoy to help to significantly reduce the carbon dioxide bubbles of the beverage / pop / soda.

The problem being I know only know a few solutions to this and neither are convenient:

1. Mildly agitate, then open the beverage, and then let sit for several hours.
2. Purchase decarbonated syrup (e.g. SodaStream) and mix them without the carbonation.

I recall many years ago commonly seeing decarbonated Orange soda at the fountain of a store; but have not since.

My goal is to have a method of being able to obtain a cold beverage from the fountain, bottle, or can and be able to consume the beverage without the fizz or the gas once it hits my system within 20 minutes at most... of course doing so without greatly obscuring / fouling the taste of the beverage.

Has anyone determined some basic steps to accomplish this goal that is portable, convenient, and doesn't foul the flavor?

Answer 1

I despise carbonated beverages so I often flatten my drinks. In order to meet all your acceptance criteria (namely, portable and works for cans) the solution I suggest is simple. Carry around a plastic sports bottle... must be strong enough to handle pressure but have an easy to operate lid.

1. Transfer contents of carbonated beverage into bottle
2. Slightly shake, to build up pressure. Open lid to release pressure.
3. Repeat step 2, shaking a bit more each time, until all carbonation (or as much as needed) is gone.

This process usually only takes a few minutes. With beverages in plastic bottles you can just use the bottle itself. With glass bottles (and clean hands) you can form a seal with your finger or thumb and do the same process. But for cans the easiest way would be a separate bottle.

Answer 2

All you need do is take a spoon and stir the contents until it no longer fizzes. I can't drink carbonated beverages either and this works great and is fast.

Answer 3

Not certain about the practicality of this solution, but as a child I discovered that putting the chewed end of a stick of liquorice [the real stuff, made of 'wood'] into a fizzy drink would flatten it in seconds.

The reality is likely not the liquorice itself, but the very large surface area it would present.

As an adult I've never actually tried to reproduce this, but perhaps something like a paint brush [clean of course] would reproduce that large surface area.

Answer 4

Add sugar. A spoonful of sugar will bring a lot of CO₂ out of solution at once. The beverage will fizz furiously, so don't fill the container to the brim or you'll spill some.

Adding surface area will help too. I've done this by inserting a teaspoon, but that's too slow. I haven't tried this, but maybe using a tea infuser (an egg-shaped strainer made to contain tea leaves) is better (more surface area): stir your drink with the (empty) tea infuser.

Answer 5

A gas is less soluble in a warm liquid. Get with twist caps, open the cap and let them sit on the counter for a day, replace the cap, and put them in the fridge.

Answer 6

As children, we used to put a strip of clean folded tissue/paper towel in the glass. You might have to repeat a few times.

Answer 7

Nothing needs to be added to soda to remove the fizz. The gas can be removed mechanically.

Loosen the top of the container until you hear the characteristic "woosh" of the pressure being released from the bottle.

Drive the carbon dioxide from a soft drink by striking the side of the [plastic] container with a heavy spoon/butterknife handle.

The sudden jolt will immediately drive the gas from the liquid. Start with a light tap so the soft drink will remain in the container without overflowing. Repeat, gradually increasing the force of the "taps." After a few knocks, the drink will be nearly flat.

This will work better if the soda/pop is at room temperature. A warm liquid cannot hold as much gas than if it's cold.

Chill the flat liquid for consumption if desired.

Try it. It works.

Answer 8

PV = nRT So - Use a vacuum pump. ultrasonic bath will do it, outside of this equation Other suggestions touch on the portable but not automated methods.

Last one: Maybe take a big syringe that's attached to a flat rubber cover for drinks. Cover your glass and pull back on the syringe several times. There are several YouTubes on how to do this.

Answer 9

Use a milk frother, 1-3 pumps. Just beware the liquid will increase in volume substantially initially but die down very quickly so use a bigger cup than you would think. My college student carries one with her to parties cause she hates carbonated drinks.

Answer 10

The "Doing the right things in the wrong order" Lifehack

It ain't what you're doing. It's the way you're doing it.

Rather than purchasing the pressurized beverage of your choice, cooling it, then struggling to flatify it; change the order of things.

As soon as practical after you get your beverage home, loosen the cap to relieve the pressure. Let it go flat. It won't take long. Solubility of a gas is the inverse of the temperature. Store it at room temperature. Then, chill the flat beverage for consumption when desired.

Here's the thing: Carbonated drinks are stored in specially designed containers to preserve carbonization. This is not practical for your needs so you must reverse engineer (hack) the traditional design. (Besides, what's your rush?)

Maybe you hadn't noticed but a carbonated drink will go flat quite quickly unless great care is taken to preserve the drink under pressure. I find that if I don't consume the contents of a bottle, it will go flat even when stored tightly-sealed in the refrigerator.

Incidentally, there are several Lifehacks questions devoted to preserving the fizz in drinks—successful ones require a tight-fitting cap, gentle handling, and cold temperature to keep the gas dissolved in a liquid.

Good luck.

Answer 11

Add salt. Upon adding salt, the beverage will fizz furiously. So make sure that the container is not full. I used to add little salt and it would reduce the gas in beverage. I know that adding too much salt -- to completely decarbonate -- will change the taste of beverage, but once try it by adding little amount of salt.

If you are interested to know how salt can decarbonate soda, check here.

Answer 12

Pouring over ice will remove a lot of the fizz.

Answer 13

You may consider ultrasonic degassing, a technique used e.g., in chemistry to remove air from solvents. Get a ultrasound bath -- a small one as to clean a pair of glasses and jewellery already works fine -- and fill it with water. Place the open container into the bath's basket, and switch the device on. Beverages with plenty of polysaccharides (e.g., beer) tend to yield more foam, than just carbonated water, so keep the can/flask/glass containing your beverage large enough (example youtube video) while flatten the beverage.

(credit: youtube video)

The screen photo depicts a bath for the chemistry lab (used to accelerate e.g., reactions) and machine shops (e.g., to degrease carburators) with timer and heater of the bath. But for degassing a beverage of a pint or so, you do not need these extras; one to clean your pair of glasses or/and small jewellery may suffice. So the cost of suitable baths already starts around US$ 30.

Just encountered: Guinness offers a sonic foamer -- basically an altered ultrasound bath -- which could do the intended job without immersion of the glass as a small bench top device:

(from this youtube video, though there is Guinness' own video, too)

It is/it has been commercialized e.g, in the U.S., and reviewed some years ago (example, example2) for beer, but should work to flatten fizzy drinks, too.

Answer 14

The rate of degassing is influenced by the surface area of the liquid. Increase the surface area by pouring the liquid into a wide by shallow bowl.

Answer 15

I put it in my water bottle and blow bubbles with the built-in straw, then open it to let the CO₂ out. It's great.

Answer 16

A clean paper towel, loosely folded and pushed down like a big straw into the beverage, works by creating nucleation sites (like a Mentos does but not as insane). All you lose is what soaks into the paper towel.

Answer 17

Cold beverages retain more dissolved CO₂ than warm.

Pouring a can of beverage into a 2L bottle will leave lots of room for the released CO₂.
(That's why half empty bottles tend to go somewhat flat if stored for a few days.)

Cap the bottle, shake, release pressure. Repeat until it's flat enough.

Answer 18

Pour it into a glass, fast, then let sit for a moment