Drawback Tutorial

Drawback Tutorial Home TTB F 5154.1 Glossary/References Definitions TTB actions What is density? What is specific gravity? Important unit conversions Calculations Calculation of eligible alcohol Calculation of alcohol content of finished product Calculation Worksheets Unfitness for Beverage Purposes What makes a product unfit? 1% solutions Organoleptic Analysis Naming Nonbeverage Products Components of Formulas Format of submissions Common mistakes Listing Ingredients in Your Formula Identifying all sources of ethanol Limited ingredients Prohibited ingredients Information about solid extracts Artificial versus natural vanillin Flavors purchased from other manufacturers Compounded flavors manufactured in-house Acids as flavoring chemicals Botanicals allowed in flavors Submitting Samples with Formulas Revisions to Approved Formulas Special Products Food products containing ethanol Vanilla Extracts and Vanilla Flavors Example Formulas Simple mixture 1 Simple mixture 2 (including discussion about yield) Simple mixture 3 (includes a disapproved intermediate formula) Simple extract Washed extract (with multiple sources of ethanol) Dietary Supplements 1 Dietary Supplement 2

What Makes a Product Unfit?

Determining whether your product is unfit for beverage purposes has become much easier.  The Nonbeverage Products Laboratory has developed several tools to streamline the process and remove the majority of subjectivity.

Click here to view a flow chart to help you decide which set of guidelines is relevant to your product.

** Flavor Unfitness Worksheet

New guidelines have been created based on the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association’s FEMA GRAS™ average maximum use levels.  The average maximum use levels for flavor chemicals have been extracted from GRAS lists and can be used to make a product unfit. Any applicable material that is present at 5 times or greater (ppm at 15% ABV) than the listed max use level is unfit for beverage purposes.

The Flavor Unfitness Worksheet will perform all the necessary calculations to determine if a flavor ingredient is 5X the max use level.

Download the Flavor Unfitness Worksheet.

Not sure how to use the Flavor Unfitness Worksheet?  Download instructions with examples!

FEMA GRAS™ average maximum use levels courtesy of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association.

Primary Guidelines for Nonbeverage Product Formulation

In the absence of materials that will make the product more palatable (sugar, glycerin, high fructose corn syrup, etc.), the following commonly used ingredients when present in the stated amounts will, in most instances, make a product unfit for beverage purposes.  This list is intended only as a guide and is not applicable to all products.

Click here to view ingredient list.