Rethinking Diet Soda

How stupid does Coca-Cola think I am?  A calorie-free version of the original Coke and they call it Coke Zero.  A clever gimmick for everyone who forgot about Diet Coke, the 1982 sugar-free version of the original Coke.

Diet Coke was the original sugarless alternative kept around because of its loyal fan-base of secretaries and cigarette smokers.  But for everyone unwilling to store the calories while craving the taste of the original, we now have Coke Zero.  And how did the chemists at the Coca-Cola Corporation cook up the formula?

They added a chemical buffer and an extra artificial sweetener not found in Diet Coke.  The only difference between Diet Coke and Coke zero is a slight decrease in Aspartame and an additional sweetener that mimics the taste of original Coke.  Coke Zero also has less caffeine than Diet Coke.  Less the fun, double the malignancy.

In all fairness, I’m drinking a Coke Zero right now and it’s a close match to the taste of Coke.  And that chemical buffer I mentioned earlier in Coke Zero is Potassium Citrate, often used to treat liver disease in mice while relieving urinary tract infections in house pets… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_citrate.