Coca-cola is brown because it contains added caramel color. Caramel color is a commonly used food coloring and is listed on the Coca-Cola label.
Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks, and a possible human carcinogen—4-methylimidazole (4-MEI)—is formed during the manufacture of some kinds of the coloring.
Coca-Cola Clear is a colorless variant of the soft drink Coca-Cola. Without the normal caramel ingredient, Coca-Cola Clear has none of the typical dark Coke color. The drink is lemon-flavored to compensate for the removed caramel.
Now, let's move on to more harmful ingredients, starting with caramel color. This artificial food dye, found in processed foods, is what gives Diet Coke its color, but it can also promote hyperactivity in children and has been known to cause allergic reactions.
Foods that contain red dye 40
This artificial food coloring hides in many processed grocery items, including: Breakfast cereals. Sodas and other soft drinks.
Red 40, also known as Allura red, is in several popular candies, sodas and chips - including Doritos, Skittles, and Pepsi - as well as baked goods and cake mix.
Story highlights. A chemical found in many sodas may be dangerous to your health, Consumer Reports says. And no, it's not sugar (this time). The golden-brown color of many soft drinks comes with a dose of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MeI.
The second ingredient, caramel coloring, gives the drink its distinctive dark brown color. There are four types of caramel coloring — Coca Cola uses type E150d, which is made by heating sugars with sulfite and ammonia to create bitter brown liquid.
Caramel coloring is made by heating a sugar compound (usually high-dextrose corn syrup), often together with ammonium compounds, acids, or alkalis. It is the most widely used (by weight) coloring added to foods and beverages, with hues ranging from tannish-yellow to black, depending on the concentration and the food.
If your child must have a soft drink, try 7-Up, Squirt, or Sprite. These brands are naturally flavored and free of dyes — though they all contain sodium benzoate, except Sierra Mist NATURAL.
After PepsiCo's introduction of Crystal Pepsi in mid-1992, Coca-Cola decided to follow suit with its own clear cola, Tab Clear, at the end of the year.
Alcohol was distributed in the same way. But while alcohol was taxed at the time, soft drinks were not. So, the Coca-Cola Company began painting its barrels red in order to help customs and tax officials distinguish them from barrels of booze.
Soda. Soft drinks, especially those with cherry, strawberry or raspberry flavoring, may contain some dyes. Some orange soda, such as Crush, may also contain red dye. Certain brands of iced tea and juice may also contain small amounts of red dye for coloring, such as Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea.
But after testing cola products in 10 states, the Center for Environmental Health said it found high levels of the caramel coloring agent called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) in all Pepsi cola products. Coke products didn't contain the chemical.
The chemical name of yellow dye 5 is tartrazine. Tartrazine is what gives Mountain Dew its yellow color. Also, people often cite that tartrazine is a potential allergen as part of the myth. There are not many current studies on the effects of tartrazine on fertility.
In regular sodas, the sugar causes dopamine releases in the brain, stimulating pleasure centers. For some, it's not the ingredients that causes the addiction, but the lifestyle habit that leads you to the fridge. Soda is often chosen with certain meals, like when you're dining out or at a fast food restaurant.
CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, NATURAL CARAMEL COLOR (CLASS IV), ACIDITY REGULATORS (PHOSPHORIC ACID), KOLA CONCENTRATE, CAFFEINE. CONTAINS CAFFEINE 24 MG/SERVING. MAXIMUM CONSUMPTION 150 MG/DAY. COCA-COLA Original is a Cola flavored carbonated drink, comes in a practical bottles of 390 ml.
A common ingredient in many soft drinks (e.g., colas, root beers, iced teas) is caramel color [3,4] produced with ammonium compounds (i.e., caramel color type IV)[5,6].
Grape drinks (also known as grape soda, grape pop, or purple drink in certain regions of the U.S.) are sweetened drinks with a grape flavor and a deep purple color. They may be carbonated (e.g., Fanta) or not (e.g., Kool-Aid).
On April 5, 2017, it was announced that due to a decrease in sales, and increase in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar sales, that Life would no longer be sold and it was discontinued in June 2017. The list of ingredients is carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, caffeine, phosphoric acid, and stevia.
Nabisco's seasonal Winter Oreos, which have a red filling, have 31 mg of Red 40 per serving.
The red dye is used in cereals, beverages, gelatins, puddings, dairy products and candy, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Brands that use Red Dye 40 include Skittles, Doritos and Twizzlers. All food color additives, including Red Dye 40, require FDA approval.
Chips. This may surprise you, but one common ingredient found in many brands of chips, including Doritos, is Red Dye 40. The artificial food coloring is used to give chips a distinctive red or reddish-brown color, and it is often used in conjunction with other food dyes to create a range of different shades and hues.