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ORIGINAL POST

The impossible burger is a fine product of electronic and chemical innovation to break apart every minutia of the taste of actual beef before finding a suitable vegan substitute for each.

We have made many advancements in electrochromatography, laser-based chemical analysis machines, electron microscopes, "electronic noses" that may someday replace drug dogs, etc.

So why can't we just put some Coca Cola in one of these machines to find every compound that makes it Coke?

This might even be as simple as taking a coke from a vending machine at Caltech and running it through state of the art chemical analyzing devices I can only daydream about, and then using some kind of database to find all the possible food grade sources for these substances.

This would sure beat pestering the Coca Cola company with fraudulent allergy claims.

"My son is allergic to orange oil. Do any of your products use orange oil?"

12 replies

Zetavu · 3 months ago

Its not even a little bit easy, which is why they pay big bucks for good analytical chemists. You have to separate volatiles, the easy part, but then gradient against chemicals with different boiling points. Each fraction goes through multiple column separations (gas or liquid chromatography) separating based on ionic charge, polarity, size, chemical functional groups to get individual components that are characterized by mass spec, light scattering, charge, UV, fluorescence or coulometric response. This just gives you the components of ingredients, then these are patterned against known ingredients to determine potential combinations of ingredients. Same is done for non volatiles (mostly sugars, acids, some preservatives and colors).

Where it really gets messy is things like caramel coloring have a ton of micro organic components and that gets in the way with things like flavor aromatics, etc. It is a lot of trial and error and at some point no longer matters because it is easier to come up with your own formula at that point.

Now with AI analysis, this speed up a lot faster than 30 years ago, but believe it or not lots of places had already reverse engineered it then.

Pharmaceuticals are not a single component either, you have you active, any stabilizers or preservatives for that, then bulking agents and disintegrants, then flavors, coatings, colors, moisture control, etc. But let's say you isolate all these non actives and get your unique chemistry, now you have to characterize a component that is unique, but here's the thing, you literally don't have to. They have a patent registering that exact component and they have FDA documentation and approval to use that component in that pill or whatever. You do not have to reverse engineer it, if anything people are looking for alternative ways to manufacture it, or a slightly modified version (maybe an extra methoxy group or carbonyl) that does not change there behavior (or improves it) but is outside the patent. Or they are looking for purity, how to reduce trace components from manufacture of the active.

51 upvotes on reddit

peterparkerson3 · 3 months ago

there's also the fact that coke would be different in each part of the world because Coke HQ only sells the syrup while bottlers can use any carbonization, sugar etc

1 upvotes on reddit

NumerousBug9075 · 3 months ago

You could just read the label on the back of the bottle?

They did reverse engineer it, a long time ago. That's why "cola" flavour exists in other forms/products.

Also, coke is human made so there's no need to use analytical chemistry to identify what's in it.

15 upvotes on reddit

BAR3rd · 3 months ago

The recipe is a trade secret, as opposed to a patent. The latter expires, the former doesn't. So, while the ingredients may be listed on the bottle, that's a far cry from divulging the actual recipe to make the drink, which is why no one has yet to duplicate it.

16 upvotes on reddit

bsmith149810 · 3 months ago

The biggest problem might be getting the cocaine needed.

Or at least I think I remember reading that coca-cola still uses the coca leaf, just without the fun part.

They’re the only US company authorized to import the plant, but it goes to a “pharmaceutical” company first where the go-go powder gets extracted for “research” purposes first.

So first you gotta make an impossible cocaine leaf, but that might be easy since it’s already vegan.

43 upvotes on reddit

burneremailaccount · 3 months ago

So I have always wondered if they actually sell the “cocaine” off to the pharma industry.

For example, when brewing beer, CO2 is a large byproduct. At large manufacturing facilities like Budweiser they capture the excess CO2 and sell it to other beverage manufacturers (like Pepsi).

4 upvotes on reddit

bsmith149810 · 3 months ago

I have no clue what the ratio of secret ingredient extract is to pure pharmaceutical grade cocaine, but considering the amount of coca-cola produced I would assume they’d have a modest surplus to sell to their pharma buddies in the name of science.

2 upvotes on reddit

karlnite · 3 months ago

I think they just grow the leaves in a fancy indoor greenhouse. Like pharmaceutical producers.

1 upvotes on reddit

ideologicSprocket · 3 months ago

I also read a book hole ago that an employee of coke got their hands on the full recipe and tried selling it to Pepsi. Pepsi agreed and then told coke and set up a sting on the entrepreneur. This was a while ago so maybe it was kfc and Popeyes or just plain BS.

9 upvotes on reddit

RussiaIsBestGreen · 3 months ago

I heard the same story about Coke and Pepsi. There’s no incentive for them to steal Coke’s recipe. Pepsi would get sued into oblivion and lose all the Pepsi customers, while gaining no Coke customers.

Maybe an off-brand could try to replicate it and charge less, but they’re still risking getting sued for all profits and I can’t imagine it is cheap to market and distribute a new product, especially when Coke has to have people watching out for exactly this.

9 upvotes on reddit

Overall_Resolution · 3 months ago

Exactly and Coke is addictive in a unique way thanks to these 'denatured' leaves.

1 upvotes on reddit

boytoy421 · 3 months ago

By the time you do all that and spend all the money doing all that, setting up distribution, it'd be cheaper just to buy coke

31 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/explainlikeimfive • [2]

Summarize

Eli5: how does coca cola company make coca cola all over the world while only two/three people know the recipe?

Posted by SouLuz · in r/explainlikeimfive · 5 years ago

And how can they make something involving so many people, and still keep it a secret?

06 replies

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6 replies

Skertilol · 5 years ago

The recipe is not a secret at all, someone working in a lab can easily identify what components are used

3 upvotes on reddit

brknsoul · 5 years ago

It's not secret, but is protected. Other companies can make cola flavoured drinks, but not to the exact specifications of Coca-Cola, otherwise those companies would get sued.

5 upvotes on reddit

Skertilol · 5 years ago

I know but i didn't knew how to explain it ^^

1 upvotes on reddit

BassManns222 · 5 years ago

I believe that the syrup is shipped worldwide then the local bottlers just add the carbonated water.

3 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 5 years ago

Worked with people who worked at coke Australia but this is still just hear say.

It comes in two major parts. literally called part A and part B.

They mix this with carbonated water and boom coke.

Part B is a class 8 corrosive dangerous good IIRC

7 upvotes on reddit

SouLuz · OP · 5 years ago

Thx for the quick answer! So people know either part A or part B.

So that means two people can build the complete recipe?

1 upvotes on reddit

See 6 replies

r/explainlikeimfive • [3]

Summarize

ELI5: what is the difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke?

Posted by Nothingandnoonehere · in r/explainlikeimfive · 17 days ago

[removed]

88 upvotes on reddit

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12 replies

D-Alembert · 17 days ago

They have different flavor. Coke Zero tastes like regular coke, while diet coke is more obviously a different product

I expect that diet coke was made in era when trying to match the flavor of regular coke would be close but wrong, so it had to be its own thing. (Diet Coke is very old, while Coke Zero is a relatively recent product)

114 upvotes on reddit

Shadow_Trojan · 17 days ago

Coke Zero does not taste like Coke

1 upvotes on reddit

spicymato · 17 days ago

At least for me, Coke Zero tastes meaningfully different from Coke; enough so that I can't treat it as a replacement.

But maybe for some people, it's close enough (or even spot on).

6 upvotes on reddit

gambloortoo · 17 days ago

It's the same for me, they definitely don't taste the same. Strangely I can't handle Coke Zero much anymore even though I've acclimated to most artificial sweeteners. The first couple of sips are fine but there's a mounting artificial sweetener taste that just gets stronger and stronger with every sip. I can rarely finish a Coke Zero because of that.

3 upvotes on reddit

BigBabyBurrito · 17 days ago

I used to prefer Diet Coke for this exact reason, but then I didn’t have a real Coke for a very, very long time (it’s probably been over a year now) and all of a sudden Coke Zero is delicious and totally tastes like Coke

3 upvotes on reddit

Shadow_Trojan · 17 days ago

Coke Zero tastes nothing like Coke

1 upvotes on reddit

Punished_Blubber · 17 days ago

Coke has a blurb about this on their website: https://www.coca-cola.com/us/en/offerings/faq/whats-the-difference-between-coca-cola-zero-sugar-and-diet-coke

38 upvotes on reddit

EducationalRoyal6484 · 17 days ago

I'm 100% with you, but I will say Coke Zero is the most tolerable one I've tried.

11 upvotes on reddit

Wowseancody · 17 days ago

I actually prefer the taste of Coke Zero now to Coke.

127 upvotes on reddit

BigCommieMachine · 17 days ago

It has to be ice cold.

Coke Zero is nasty at room temperature while regular Coke is still drinkable

2 upvotes on reddit

Shadowlance23 · 17 days ago

Different sweeteners. Coke Zero tastes very similar to sugar coke (at least to me and I'm in Australia so we use cane sugar, never tried corn syrup Coke).

Diet Coke tastes like filtered swamp water, but enough people seem to like it that it's worth them keeping it around still.

25 upvotes on reddit

psuedopseudo · 17 days ago

Sweeteners were not as well developed in the 80s when they made Diet Coke, so they made a different formula that when combined with the artificial sweetener got as close to Coke as they could.

Coke Zero is more like the original Coke formula with sucralose subbed in for sugar. Hence the closer taste.

I’ve always suspected New Coke was an effort to take the Diet Coke formula and put the sugar back in so the drinks would have the same formula. I have no idea whether there is any evidence to support that.

0 upvotes on reddit

See 12 replies

r/cocacola • [4]

Summarize

How does the Coca-Cola Company manufacture the Coca-Cola syrup while maintaining secrecy?

Posted by Soapy-Dick · in r/cocacola · 6 years ago

While tech-manufacturing companies like Foxconn do a good job of keeping leaks of latest smartphones at bay, still some leaks eventually inevitably happen. But with the Coca-Cola syrup being older than 100 years and, and it being a beverage which has to pass Food Administration certification in all regions of the world, how can its recipe still be a secret?

4 upvotes on reddit

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2 replies

cl0udedm1nd · 6 years ago

The ingredients are not really a secret anymore. You can look them up if you really want to.

But you cant just dump x chemicals into a vat and expect it to taste like Coke. You have to perform all the steps in an exact manner or else you end up with some shitty discount cola.

Example: there is Co2 both in Coke and Pepsi. Why are the bubbles in coke bigger?

There are just too many steps involved in the process and no single worker knows them all

3 upvotes on reddit

Soapy-Dick · OP · 6 years ago

But what the Coca-Cola company does is still maintain it as a secret, officialy. Which may lead to a perception of exclusiveness to the drink. Not to forget that blind test of Coke vs others like this may fail to determine which is which.

What you said makes sense. The quantities and steps involved may have significant impact. From what I read on Wikipedia, few people have actually come up with recipies which taste similar, which they claim to be the original recipie.

1 upvotes on reddit

See 2 replies

r/RandomThoughts • [5]

Summarize

Coca Cola Zero ain’t right ain’t nothing that tastes this good 0 calories. There’s a catch and I want to know what it is

Posted by deadzoul · in r/RandomThoughts · 5 months ago

I know there’s the aspartame thing yada yada but there’s gotta be something else

3 upvotes on reddit

6 replies

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6 replies

Deanrine · 5 months ago

Because it has sweeteners

1 upvotes on reddit

throwtheamiibosaway · 5 months ago

When a mf is too dumb to understand science.

1 upvotes on reddit

deadzoul · OP · 5 months ago

When a mf is too dumb to understand im using slight sarcasm and expressing that it’s amazing that it’s 0 calories in a sideways manner and can’t connect the dots with it being in a sub called “random thoughts” rather than a more serious sub which would denote a genuine inquiry

Either that or you’re genuinely on the spectrum and take things very literally in which case I can’t really say anything negative about that

0 upvotes on reddit

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1 upvotes on reddit

TatraPoodle · 5 months ago

Is yada yada not enough reason?

1 upvotes on reddit

LostExile7555 · 5 months ago

If you drink it, you owe the Coca-Cola Company your firstborn child. They will be used to make Coca-Cola products like Oopma Loompas.

1 upvotes on reddit

See 6 replies

r/shittyaskreddit • [6]

Summarize

can you make coke at home?

Posted by JoleeJean56 · in r/shittyaskreddit · 1 year ago

7 upvotes on reddit

5 replies

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https://youtube.com/shorts/b0fev3snaUI?si=PEw3KNTqSIzhfjKn

5 replies

Punch_Your_Facehole · 1 year ago

Yes. Here’s the formula:

C17H21NO4

2 upvotes on reddit

travisxx888 · 1 year ago

So helpful thank you

1 upvotes on reddit

Accurate-Basis4588 · 1 year ago

The police department will test any drugs you make free of charge. Just one of the things they do for the good people.

1 upvotes on reddit

TacticalDildoforyou · 1 year ago

Hell yeah

1 upvotes on reddit

Ok_Entertainment328 · 1 year ago

Beer craftsman shops sell yeast and syrup for making imitation coke (cola).

Some coke, you need to play IRL Minecraft (coal/fuel)

The 3rd type of coke, the hardest part is acquiring the cocoa leaves (drugs)

1 upvotes on reddit

See 5 replies

r/Soda • [7]

Summarize

Is it just me or did the Coke-a-Cola company just destroy Coke-0?

Posted by DocDanMD · in r/Soda · 3 years ago

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. I vote to go back to the prior Coke-0 formula.

011 replies

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11 replies

titanofidiocy · 3 years ago

I found this summer I just don't like Coke anymore. Just tastes off now.

3 upvotes on reddit

DocDanMD · OP · 3 years ago

I agree. I liked Coke Zero until the change and now the new Coke-Zero tastes more like Diet Coke which I have never liked.

3 upvotes on reddit

CryptidComrade · 3 years ago

I personally think it's better tasting but it is a big change so I see why people wouldn't like it.

3 upvotes on reddit

Squawkings · 3 years ago

I agree, blindfold people and they won't be able to tell the difference. It's damn close to regular Coke, in my opinion.

1 upvotes on reddit

DocDanMD · OP · 3 years ago

It seems to taste like Diet Coke to me and Diet Pepsi to my wife. Coke Zero was our go to diet cola until this change. It just doesn’t taste good to us after years of buying the Coke Zero.

2 upvotes on reddit

CryptidComrade · 3 years ago

I said almost the exact thing 😆

0 upvotes on reddit

bobbyUP-MKII · 3 years ago

The new formula is the first time I’ve found a Coca-Cola release really unpleasant, I hate it.

2 upvotes on reddit

FreeSpire · 3 years ago

I think you destroyed the name of the product by writing it that way.

I had a brief, fleeting hope you were talking about a cola-flavored cereal I just hadn't yet come across.

Even better, the O's carbonate the milk!

3 upvotes on reddit

DocDanMD · OP · 3 years ago

0 is different than O.

1 upvotes on reddit

Boomshockalocka007 · 3 years ago

Its better in every way. It tastes nothing like diet. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

1 upvotes on reddit

DocDanMD · OP · 3 years ago

Ok. Perhaps I got a case with a bad mix from Coke. I’ll try another case. The one I bought tasted terrible.

1 upvotes on reddit

See 11 replies

r/northernlion • [8]

Summarize

It's chatters. Coke zero is made of chatters.

Posted by Pitiful-Escape8732 · in r/northernlion · 4 months ago

i.redd.it

268 upvotes on reddit

5 replies

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5 replies

jasonWithA_y · 4 months ago

CZ: Chatter Zero.

WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

4 upvotes on reddit

Fummy · 4 months ago

wtf? Is that true?

21 upvotes on reddit

P_Star7 · 4 months ago

Getting closer to my dream of being in NL

5 upvotes on reddit

muhoot · 4 months ago

the truth about shitter chat

8 upvotes on reddit

sedcar · 4 months ago

Chatter milk is Coke Zero confirmed

8 upvotes on reddit

See 5 replies

r/AskReddit • [9]

Summarize

Coca cola is manufactured worldwide and how come only two or so people know its recipe?

Posted by Nawrat87 · in r/AskReddit · 1 year ago

1 upvotes on reddit

5 replies

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5 replies

Demondrake2022 · 1 year ago

I'm sure there's more than 2 people who know the recipe. Past that it's because of corporate greed. If the recipe is well known then it's easier to mimic. And it also removes the "specialness" of having a secret recipe.

An analogy, the krabby patty recipe from SpongeBob isn't really all that special. It's a vegan burger with red algae extract in it to make it more beefy. But if everyone knew that Plankton could easily duplicate it, everyone can make it at home, and krabs looses a ton of business because he's no longer the only source of delicious burgers.

1 upvotes on reddit

Knucks_408 · 1 year ago

You don't know the recipe?

1 upvotes on reddit

[deleted] · 1 year ago

tbh, I think the company claim that only 2 people at any time know the recipe is PR bullshit.

3 upvotes on reddit

RemoteView7964 · 1 year ago

Everyone knows the recipe

3 upvotes on reddit

Sasarai · 1 year ago

One factory manufactures little flavour cubes that are shipped worldwide.

Source: someone on the school bus who knew someone who worked at a factory.

2 upvotes on reddit

See 5 replies

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