Quiz 3 - Favorite Products

Diet Coke

Ingredients:

Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Aspartame, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (To Protect Taste), Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Caffeine.

Description of 4 ingredients

Aspartame: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is roughly 200 times sweeter than sucrose. When consumed aspartame is broken down into aspartic acid and phenylalanine. For some consumers, the phenylalanine can cause issues if they have phenylketonuria, PKU. In order to make this product available to more consumers and to keep up with the “clean label” trend, aspartame could be replaced with a natural sweetener such as stevia to add sweetness while still keeping caloric values down.

Potassium Benzoate: Potassium Benzoate is a preservative that works will in low pH’s. Potassium benzoate is used in place of sodium benzoate in order to reduce sodium levels in products to appeal to consumer demands. Potassium benzoate is used in diet coke to protect taste. However, it can be used to protect against yeast, mold, and bacteria.

Citric Acid: Citric acid is used in diet coke to provide a sour taste as well as act as a preservative. However, citric acid can cause tooth erosion and could possibly be replaced with ascorbic acid or possibly lemon juice. Interestingly, citric acid that is used in foods is cultivated as a byproduct of aspergillus growth on a sugar agar. Most of the citric acid used today is made in China.

Caramel Color: Caramel color is added to diet coke in order to enhance the dark brown color. Caramel color is soluble in water and therefore is used in many beverages. Caramel color is created by heating sugars with an acid to break the sugar bonds. Caramel color has a low caloric content and does not cause many allergic reactions.

Works Cited

"All About Diet Sodas: Precision Nutrition." Precision Nutrition. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

"Aspartame: Separating Fact From Fiction about Aspartame." Aspartame.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

Mark. "What Is Potassium Benozate?" Potassium Benzoate: What Is It and Why Is It in Our Food. Food Construed, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.