ChatterBank1 min ago
Sports Drink
14 Answers
What's going on with my red coloured sports drink. I've left a few of them in daylight in the kitchen and they've become horrible pink in colour virtually overnight. They also taste horrible. They do say not to expose them to sunlight but it's beginning to look like they should be stored in the dark!
Answers
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One lengthy explanation I found via Google.
Because,soft drinks contain many perishable components like artificial sweetner(ACESULFAME,CYCLAMATES,ASPARTAME etc.),antioxidants, foaming agents and preservatives like sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, sodium citrate and benzoic acid.
The above mentioned sweetners and preservatives are a major component of many soft drinks.
On exposure to sunlight benzoates often degrade to form benzene (a popular CARCINOGEN).
To give a typical example,I must mention why USA government began to check the benzene-concentration in bottled- soft drinks.
Studies showed that, benzoic acid a well-known preservative undergoes decarboxylation to form benzene in the presence of ascorbic acid(Vitamin-C) and metal ions(iron and copper) that begins to act as catalyst specially under heat and sunlight(UV rays).
And once the preservatives get decomposed,there is nothing to inhibit the growth of yeast and fungus and they start feasting on the drink thus spoiling it.
And also the sweetners decompose to some extent in the presence of sunlight.
Not only this,the bottles containing soft drink is generally made up of Polyethylene Terephthalate (TFT) which breaks in the form of particles and forms colloidal mixture with the soft drinks,when exposed to sunlight for prolonged period.
Because,soft drinks contain many perishable components like artificial sweetner(ACESULFAME,CYCLAMATES,ASPARTAME etc.),antioxidants, foaming agents and preservatives like sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, sodium citrate and benzoic acid.
The above mentioned sweetners and preservatives are a major component of many soft drinks.
On exposure to sunlight benzoates often degrade to form benzene (a popular CARCINOGEN).
To give a typical example,I must mention why USA government began to check the benzene-concentration in bottled- soft drinks.
Studies showed that, benzoic acid a well-known preservative undergoes decarboxylation to form benzene in the presence of ascorbic acid(Vitamin-C) and metal ions(iron and copper) that begins to act as catalyst specially under heat and sunlight(UV rays).
And once the preservatives get decomposed,there is nothing to inhibit the growth of yeast and fungus and they start feasting on the drink thus spoiling it.
And also the sweetners decompose to some extent in the presence of sunlight.
Not only this,the bottles containing soft drink is generally made up of Polyethylene Terephthalate (TFT) which breaks in the form of particles and forms colloidal mixture with the soft drinks,when exposed to sunlight for prolonged period.
Cochineal extract or Carmine Dye as it is also known is known to degradate in the presence of light and oxygen - and humidity can be a factor.
The dye has been known to cause allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock to a sensitive subset of populations.......it's use is controlled by one of the European Directives on additive usage, this one not only food but also for things like tattoos.
The dye has been known to cause allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock to a sensitive subset of populations.......it's use is controlled by one of the European Directives on additive usage, this one not only food but also for things like tattoos.
Well let's see if I can provide a sensible answer to this interesting question.
The OP says the sports drink was red in colour. Since the virtual banning of most artificial food colourants such as Ponceau 4R, Carmine etc, the colourants of choice are anthocyanins. For red colouration in drinks it's usually an anthocyanin called black carrot juice, extract or powder nowadays. The colourant is obtained from surprisingly, black carrots by various treatments that I won't go into here.
Anthocyanins are natural colourants obtained from blackberries, carrots, blackcurrants, cranberries, red cabbage and other mostly cultivated plants. This is why they are "natural" and not "artificial". Anthocyanins are regarded as having powerful antioxidant properties.
Black carrot juice produces a lovely raspberry shade of red in drinks but it changes colour with an increase in pH to blues and purples. Because of this the manufacturer adds citric acid to the drink to keep the pH below 6.0 which means the drink keeps it colour and it gives the drink a slightly acidic taste. As long as the manufacturer doesn't go overboard with other additives such as artificial sweeteners, stabilisers etc, the drink will keep its red colour.
The problem with all anthocyanins is that yes, they break down on exposure to sunlight but some grades have been known to break down within weeks of being on the supermarket shelf. A change in the chemical structure of the anthocyanin takes places that alters the red colourant to a pale pink colour within a few hours imparting a disagreeable taste to the product along the way.
All this means that you cannot blame sunlight alone for this reaction as other factors may be at work. Lab analysis would be needed to tell what's going on. I trust that this answer is nearer to what you were looking for.
The OP says the sports drink was red in colour. Since the virtual banning of most artificial food colourants such as Ponceau 4R, Carmine etc, the colourants of choice are anthocyanins. For red colouration in drinks it's usually an anthocyanin called black carrot juice, extract or powder nowadays. The colourant is obtained from surprisingly, black carrots by various treatments that I won't go into here.
Anthocyanins are natural colourants obtained from blackberries, carrots, blackcurrants, cranberries, red cabbage and other mostly cultivated plants. This is why they are "natural" and not "artificial". Anthocyanins are regarded as having powerful antioxidant properties.
Black carrot juice produces a lovely raspberry shade of red in drinks but it changes colour with an increase in pH to blues and purples. Because of this the manufacturer adds citric acid to the drink to keep the pH below 6.0 which means the drink keeps it colour and it gives the drink a slightly acidic taste. As long as the manufacturer doesn't go overboard with other additives such as artificial sweeteners, stabilisers etc, the drink will keep its red colour.
The problem with all anthocyanins is that yes, they break down on exposure to sunlight but some grades have been known to break down within weeks of being on the supermarket shelf. A change in the chemical structure of the anthocyanin takes places that alters the red colourant to a pale pink colour within a few hours imparting a disagreeable taste to the product along the way.
All this means that you cannot blame sunlight alone for this reaction as other factors may be at work. Lab analysis would be needed to tell what's going on. I trust that this answer is nearer to what you were looking for.
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