SCIENTISTS at a Horsforth-based company are doing their bit to put the fizz back into drinks as Europe faces a CO2 shortage.

The Stephenson Group is coming to the aid of alcohol and fizzy drink manufacturers with a range of carbon dioxide solubilisers, ensuring football-mad drinkers don’t have to go without their favourite fizzy tipple during the tournament.

The company has patented a non-silicone ‘fizz stabiliser’ which helps to preventing drinks from going flat.

There have been concerns that Britain could run out of beer and fizzy drinks imminently because the European supply of carbon dioxide is at an all-time low. The problem comes at a time when spending on alcohol has increased as football fans stock up during the World Cup.

The fizz stabiliser - Sustain - is used as an aid in the manufacturing process of carbonated drinks. It was developed by Stephenson Group’s Technical Innovations Chemists, in response to a problem that has plagued the carbonated drinks market for years - carbon dioxide loss.

CEO Jamie Bentley, said: “Drinks manufacturers are facing a tough few weeks as stocks of the carbon dioxide they use to fizz up their drinks run dangerously low. The shortage couldn’t have come at a worse time for pubs, bars and supermarkets, coinciding with the World Cup which, as it only happens every four years, is a golden trading period. If football fans can’t get hold of alcohol and fizzy drinks during the tournament this could spell disaster for the hospitality trade. Our product has been formulated to make sure drinks don’t lose their fizz and stay fizzy for longer, meaning less carbon dioxide is actually required in the first place and less is also wasted.

He added: “Even without an industry shortage, traditionally a lot of carbon dioxide is wasted during the manufacturing process. By the time a drink reaches a consumer it has lost up to 40 per cent of its fizz. We can help drastically reduce this wastage and preserve valuable carbon dioxide stocks so drinkers don’t have to worry.”