Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site kitty.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!rocksanne!sunybcs!kitty!larry From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: net.misc.coke Subject: Re: More ingredients questions.Message-ID: <311@kitty.UUCP> Date: Sun, 11-Aug-85 14:11:36 EDT Article-I.D.: kitty.311 Posted: Sun Aug 11 14:11:36 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 13-Aug-85 03:28:26 EDT References: <2958@sdcc3.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 55 > After reading all this discussion about whether Coke has sugar or > corn syrup in it, and who bottles/makes Dr. Pepper; I chanced to > look at my can of D. P. today. To my surprise I saw Polyethylene > Glycol as the last ingredient! I know that ethylene glycol is that > sweet-tasting poisonous stuff that goes into anti-freeze. I also > seem to remember a recent report about a recall of some Austrian > or German wine, because it had ethylene glycol in it to make it > sweeter. I'm no chemist, but shouldn't polyethylene glycol be > somewhat similar in properties as ethylene glycol (ie. isn't it > toxic)? Doesn't polyethylene just mean many-ethylene? That's a good question, and I am certain that the true answer is buried in Dr. Pepper's proprietary information. However, I will take a stab at it... Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is not one compound, but is the name for a *group* of compounds which are condensation polymers of ethylene glycol. PEG is as different from the ethylene glycol monomer as polyethylene plastic is different from its ethylene monomer. While ethylene glycol is considered a toxic compound, the various PEG's are relatively non-toxic. PEG is FDA-approved and is both NF and USP registered for use in pharmaceuticals for internal use. PEG is differentiated by molecular weight, running from less than 400 to more than 6,000. PEG with a mw of 400 is viscous clear liquid with only a slight odor and taste. PEG with a mw of 6,000 is a white power which melts at around 60 deg C. PEG (in its various forms) is used as a lubricant, binder, solvent, stabilizer (as a humectant, primarily), etc. It's most common use in pharma- ceutical preparations is as a base for suppositories. :-) [This is true!] In fact, in our lab we use PEG under the tradename of Carbowax as a column packing for gas chromatographs. I chewed a little before posting this response and it tasted like a candle... Now why would PEG be in Dr. Pepper? 1. Not for taste purposes, nor to increase viscosity. 2. Not to lower the freezing point of the canned mixture, nor to stabilize the water content. 3. Not to make the stuff easier to swallow. :-) 4. Probably as a binder for the various flavoring and coloring ingedients so as to prevent their separation after initial formulation. 5. Less probably (but not absurd) to confuse any analytical instruments (gc, lc, ir, and uv) which might be used by competitors to ascertain the product formula. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York | | UUCP {decvax,dual,rocksanne,rocksvax,watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry | | {rice,shell}!baylor!/ | | VOICE 716/741-9185 syr!buf!/ | | TELEX {via WUI} 69-71461 ansbak: ELGECOMCLR | | | | "Have you hugged your cat today?" | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++