A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. So
I thought I'd do a blind taste test. We had a case of Mexican sugar
Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke. Of course, I wanted to try it
myself, and I recruited my three children also. My wife refused. That
was fine, she could pour. Also, she hates all carbonated beverages, and
especially Coke, and she has a bad cold. My son P is just coming down
with a cold, so he wasn't so sure about his tasting ability. My
children are ages 30, 26 and 24, so they've been around and tasted some
different things.

I put the bottles in the fridge the day before, to make sure they were
cold, and the same temperature. I used eight identical glasses. I
slipped a little card under each glass, marked A or B. I discussed the
methodology with my wife, as she was a food chemist for seven years and
has conducted some blind taste testings. She said, "Well, you just
wanna find out which one they like the best, doncha?". Yeah. So I put
a card in front of each pair of glasses, for notes and such. We left
the kitchen so my wife could pour. She called us back. Of course, we
had no idea which Coke was in which glass. We agreed that we would each
decide which one we liked better, and also guess which was Mexican and
which was US.

Both my sons liked B better, and thought it was the Mexican Coke. My
daughter and I liked A better, and my daughter thought it was the
Mexican Coke. I have no clue how you tell, so I didn't guess.

We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
writing. When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. My sons were a little
disappointed that they were wrong. My daughter was happy that she was
right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
expected. I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
unable to tell which was which without them right together. If you gave
me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
was, they were that close (to my taste).

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Dan Abel wrote:
> A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
> by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. So
> I thought I'd do a blind taste test. We had a case of Mexican sugar
> Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
> and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke. Of course, I wanted to try it
> myself, and I recruited my three children also. My wife refused. That
> was fine, she could pour. Also, she hates all carbonated beverages, and
> especially Coke, and she has a bad cold. My son P is just coming down
> with a cold, so he wasn't so sure about his tasting ability. My
> children are ages 30, 26 and 24, so they've been around and tasted some
> different things.
>
> I put the bottles in the fridge the day before, to make sure they were
> cold, and the same temperature. I used eight identical glasses. I
> slipped a little card under each glass, marked A or B. I discussed the
> methodology with my wife, as she was a food chemist for seven years and
> has conducted some blind taste testings. She said, "Well, you just
> wanna find out which one they like the best, doncha?". Yeah. So I put
> a card in front of each pair of glasses, for notes and such. We left
> the kitchen so my wife could pour. She called us back. Of course, we
> had no idea which Coke was in which glass. We agreed that we would each
> decide which one we liked better, and also guess which was Mexican and
> which was US.
>
> Both my sons liked B better, and thought it was the Mexican Coke. My
> daughter and I liked A better, and my daughter thought it was the
> Mexican Coke. I have no clue how you tell, so I didn't guess.
>
> We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
> writing. When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
> Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. My sons were a little
> disappointed that they were wrong. My daughter was happy that she was
> right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
> expected. I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
> unable to tell which was which without them right together. If you gave
> me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
> was, they were that close (to my taste).
>
That's interesting. Maybe a matter of what one is used to? I
don't consume soft drinks, so I don't know what difference might
be found in this realm.

--
Jean B.

On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:51:37 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:

>A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
>by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. So
>I thought I'd do a blind taste test. We had a case of Mexican sugar
>Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
>and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke. Of course, I wanted to try it
>myself, and I recruited my three children also. My wife refused. That
>was fine, she could pour. Also, she hates all carbonated beverages, and
>especially Coke, and she has a bad cold. My son P is just coming down
>with a cold, so he wasn't so sure about his tasting ability. My
>children are ages 30, 26 and 24, so they've been around and tasted some
>different things.
>
>I put the bottles in the fridge the day before, to make sure they were
>cold, and the same temperature. I used eight identical glasses. I
>slipped a little card under each glass, marked A or B. I discussed the
>methodology with my wife, as she was a food chemist for seven years and
>has conducted some blind taste testings. She said, "Well, you just
>wanna find out which one they like the best, doncha?". Yeah. So I put
>a card in front of each pair of glasses, for notes and such. We left
>the kitchen so my wife could pour. She called us back. Of course, we
>had no idea which Coke was in which glass. We agreed that we would each
>decide which one we liked better, and also guess which was Mexican and
>which was US.
>
>Both my sons liked B better, and thought it was the Mexican Coke. My
>daughter and I liked A better, and my daughter thought it was the
>Mexican Coke. I have no clue how you tell, so I didn't guess.
>
>We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
>writing. When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
>Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. My sons were a little
>disappointed that they were wrong. My daughter was happy that she was
>right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
>expected. I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
>unable to tell which was which without them right together. If you gave
>me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
>was, they were that close (to my taste).

Interesting. Of course, I would assume I would like the Mexican
w/sugar Coke too. Maybe our brains affect our choices as much as
taste does.

aloha,
Cea

On Nov 18, 11:51*pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
> by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. *So
> I thought I'd do a blind taste test. *We had a case of Mexican sugar
> Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
> and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke. *Of course, I wanted to try it
> myself, and I recruited my three children also. *My wife refused. *That
> was fine, she could pour. *Also, she hates all carbonated beverages, and
> especially Coke, and she has a bad cold. *My son P is just coming down
> with a cold, so he wasn't so sure about his tasting ability. *My
> children are ages 30, 26 and 24, so they've been around and tasted some
> different things.
>
> I put the bottles in the fridge the day before, to make sure they were
> cold, and the same temperature. *I used eight identical glasses. *I
> slipped a little card under each glass, marked A or B. *I discussed the
> methodology with my wife, as she was a food chemist for seven years and
> has conducted some blind taste testings. *She said, "Well, you just
> wanna find out which one they like the best, doncha?". *Yeah. *So I put
> a card in front of each pair of glasses, for notes and such. *We left
> the kitchen so my wife could pour. *She called us back. *Of course, we
> had no idea which Coke was in which glass. *We agreed that we would each
> decide which one we liked better, and also guess which was Mexican and
> which was US.
>
> Both my sons liked B better, and thought it was the Mexican Coke. *My
> daughter and I liked A better, and my daughter thought it was the
> Mexican Coke. *I have no clue how you tell, so I didn't guess.
>
> We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
> writing. *When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
> Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. *My sons were a little
> disappointed that they were wrong. *My daughter was happy that she was
> right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
> expected. *I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
> unable to tell which was which without them right together. *If you gave
> me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
> was, they were that close (to my taste).
>
> --
> Dan Abel
> Petaluma, California USA
>


Did you check the label on the US Coke carefully? Coke usually uses
all corn syrup, but sometimes they will use up to 50% cane sugar if
they can get it cheaply. Pepsi does or used to use 50/50 sugar and
corn syrup all the time. I don't know if they still do or not.

In article
>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:


> I think the flavor of those in glass versus those in aluminum is more
> pronounced. I avoid HFCS because I'd rather not have it in my diet.
> That is the reason I prefer the Mexican coca cola.

The Mexican Coke came in glass, so that's what I tested. The US Coke
came in a plastic bottle. All the cans I saw were in 12 packs, and we
just don't drink the stuff, so I didn't want to spend the money,
especially since the plastic bottle was on sale (US 20oz for US$1.49).

I don't have a problem with HFCS, other than it is sugar, and I'm a
diabetic. Fructose, which is a main component of HFCS, is fruit sugar,
coming from the latin word "fructus", or fruit. The rest is glucose,
which is the sugar found in your blood. Glucose is also commonly found
in fruit.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article
>,
Christopher Helms > wrote:

> On Nov 18, 11:51*pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> > A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
> > by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. *So
> > I thought I'd do a blind taste test. *We had a case of Mexican sugar
> > Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
> > and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke.

> Did you check the label on the US Coke carefully? Coke usually uses
> all corn syrup, but sometimes they will use up to 50% cane sugar if
> they can get it cheaply. Pepsi does or used to use 50/50 sugar and
> corn syrup all the time. I don't know if they still do or not.

I checked both labels with my most powerful glasses, they were identical
in everything I was interested in (calories and grams of sugar per
ounce) except for the second entry in the list of ingredients, which was
"sugar" for the Mexican Coke and "high fructose corn syrup" for the US
Coke. All the other ingredients were identical.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Dan Abel wrote:

> We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
> writing. When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
> Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. My sons were a little
> disappointed that they were wrong. My daughter was happy that she was
> right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
> expected. I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
> unable to tell which was which without them right together. If you gave
> me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
> was, they were that close (to my taste).
>
Fun taste test.
I found I liked Kosher Coke (US made in 2 liter bottles)at Passover
better than the small glass bottles of Mexican Coke. Knowing they both
are made with cane sugar instead of HFCS. I wonder why that might be?
Transportation issues?

On Nov 18, 9:51*pm, Dan Abel > wrote:
> A lot of people claim that they can tell what kind of sugar is in a food
> by taste, and a lot of people don't like HFCS, for various reasons. *So
> I thought I'd do a blind taste test. *We had a case of Mexican sugar
> Coke that my daughter had bought from Costco, because she prefers it,
> and I bought a bottle of US HFCS Coke. *Of course, I wanted to try it
> myself, and I recruited my three children also. *My wife refused. *That
> was fine, she could pour. *Also, she hates all carbonated beverages, and
> especially Coke, and she has a bad cold. *My son P is just coming down
> with a cold, so he wasn't so sure about his tasting ability. *My
> children are ages 30, 26 and 24, so they've been around and tasted some
> different things.
>
> I put the bottles in the fridge the day before, to make sure they were
> cold, and the same temperature. *I used eight identical glasses. *I
> slipped a little card under each glass, marked A or B. *I discussed the
> methodology with my wife, as she was a food chemist for seven years and
> has conducted some blind taste testings. *She said, "Well, you just
> wanna find out which one they like the best, doncha?". *Yeah. *So I put
> a card in front of each pair of glasses, for notes and such. *We left
> the kitchen so my wife could pour. *She called us back. *Of course, we
> had no idea which Coke was in which glass. *We agreed that we would each
> decide which one we liked better, and also guess which was Mexican and
> which was US.
>
> Both my sons liked B better, and thought it was the Mexican Coke. *My
> daughter and I liked A better, and my daughter thought it was the
> Mexican Coke. *I have no clue how you tell, so I didn't guess.
>
> We agreed that there would be no discussion until everybody was done
> writing. *When we were ready, my wife announced that A was the Mexican
> Coke, and that B was the US HFCS Coke. *My sons were a little
> disappointed that they were wrong. *My daughter was happy that she was
> right, but admitted that they were much more similar than she had
> expected. *I also didn't find them much different, and would have been
> unable to tell which was which without them right together. *If you gave
> me one taste of one right now, I wouldn't be able to tell you which it
> was, they were that close (to my taste).
>
> --
> Dan Abel
> Petaluma, California USA
>

hmmmm.....must be having some long winter nights.

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:25:16 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:

>In article
>,
> Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:
>
>
>> I think the flavor of those in glass versus those in aluminum is more
>> pronounced. I avoid HFCS because I'd rather not have it in my diet.
>> That is the reason I prefer the Mexican coca cola.
>
>The Mexican Coke came in glass, so that's what I tested. The US Coke
>came in a plastic bottle. All the cans I saw were in 12 packs, and we
>just don't drink the stuff, so I didn't want to spend the money,
>especially since the plastic bottle was on sale (US 20oz for US$1.49).
>
>I don't have a problem with HFCS, other than it is sugar, and I'm a
>diabetic. Fructose, which is a main component of HFCS, is fruit sugar,
>coming from the latin word "fructus", or fruit. The rest is glucose,
>which is the sugar found in your blood. Glucose is also commonly found
>in fruit.
And cane sugar is sucrose, right?

aloha,
Cea

In article
>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:


> > >I don't have a problem with HFCS, other than it is sugar, and I'm a
> > >diabetic. Fructose, which is a main component of HFCS, is fruit sugar,
> > >coming from the latin word "fructus", or fruit. The rest is glucose,
> > >which is the sugar found in your blood. Glucose is also commonly found
> > >in fruit.

> For me, I have an aversion to eating things that can not possibly be
> made in my home. Lots of things would be difficult to do, or are things
> that I wouldn't do, or never have or are time consuming, but if, like
> with HFCS, it is impossible to make in my home, unless we turn our shop
> into an industrial chemistry lab, then I don't want to eat it. The end.

But we haven't even started yet!

Beer has been made for thousands of years:

http://www.beerhistory.com/library/h...imetable.shtml

Here's the basic process:

1. Get some viable, edible dried corn seeds (no fungicide or pesticide,
since we're making food). Beer was made out of corn in South America.

2. Wet the corn and then sprout it.

3. When the sprouts are about 1/2" long, pop them in the oven and cook
on low heat until they are dry.

4. Break off the dried sprouts and toss them in the compost.

5. Put the dried seeds in a pot and add water. Heat on stove. You now
have corn syrup. If you thicken it, you will have the same thing you
buy in a bottle as Karo corn syrup. It will be all glucose.

6. Add yeast (or wait for yeast from the air to hit) to the unthickened
solution to make beer.

Note that there is no fructose in the above. That requires another
enzyme (Mother Nature gave you the first enzyme to convert starch to
sugar with the sprouting of the seed). The producers of HFCS don't use
the above process, either. They use enzymes, but don't sprout the corn.
It appears that they use some nasty chemicals somewhere, also.

> Finding out that there was a little amount of mercury in it only
> confirmed my decision.

I think the nasty chemicals are where the mercury floated in. It is a
contaminant and shouldn't be there.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Dan Abel wrote:

> Note that there is no fructose in the above. That requires another
> enzyme (Mother Nature gave you the first enzyme to convert starch to
> sugar with the sprouting of the seed). The producers of HFCS don't use

I am offline now and can't verify, so don't take this as gospel: I was
thinking that brewing yeasts could handle glucose and fructose directly,
but had to break down sucrose with sucrase (into G and F) first.

A practical effect is that if you're using table sugar to prime beer or
sparkling wine, be prepared for it to take longer. In my experience
priming corn sugar is fully utilized in about 3 weeks and table sugar
takes 5-6 to achieve the same "CO2 volumes". Since I have a
several-batch backlog it is a "distinction without a difference for me";
I won't get to the batch in less than 3-4 months anyhow.



--
brother mouse
composed offline and synced later.
http://www.mousetrap.net/mouse/offline.html

Goomba wrote:

> I found I liked Kosher Coke (US made in 2 liter bottles)at Passover
> better than the small glass bottles of Mexican Coke. Knowing they both
> are made with cane sugar instead of HFCS. I wonder why that might be?
> Transportation issues?

In the Dallas market at least, I think I can pick out Mexican coke. I
suspect transport/storage conditions are the main factor. I don't think
I am tasting the difference in the sweetener.

--
brother mouse
composed offline and synced later.
http://www.mousetrap.net/mouse/offline.html