5.1 Two procedures, A and B, are outlined in this test method. Procedure A is used most often for development of various beverage container designs to determine the functional characteristics of the package in regard to shelf life. Procedure B is recommended for use in beverage filling operations as a quality control tool in maintaining the desired CO₂ fill pressure. A loss of CO₂ will affect product taste.

5.1.1 Procedure A involves the use of sensitive pressure and temperature monitoring equipment where a high degree of accuracy is essential, for example, a micro-pressure transducer and thermocouple for measuring pressure and temperature of the package in a closed system. Alternatively, this procedure may also use bottles closed with roll-on aluminum caps containing rubber septums. The septum is pierced with a hypodermic needle attached to a pressure transducer to obtain pressure readings. This procedure should be confined to laboratories that are practiced in this type of analytical testing.

5.1.2 Procedure B is more widely used when measuring the carbonation level of the package due to the simplicity of the technique. A simple Manual pressure assembly or an Automated CO₂ Analyzer is utilized.