| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
What a terrific question!!! There are two ways that I can answer your question regarding the amount of carbonation in a carbonated soft drink (CSD). The first way is the purely scientific approach. The main factors that determine the amount of carbonation or fizz in a CSD are temperature, pressure, and volume. Did you ever notice that warm soda tastes flatter than cold soda? That's because the solubility of CO2 (the amount of CO2 dissolved in the CSD) increases in colder liquids. This increased solubility means more bubbles in the CSD!! Did you also notice that after you open a 2 liter bottle of soda and then recap it in the fridge that it has less fizz the next time that you drink it? That because you now have more volume and less pressure above the soda. These factors result in a loss or decrease in carbonation. Now for the real answer to your question. The amount of carbonation in a CSD is determined by a flavor chemist. A flavor chemist (or flavorist) is a person that works in the soft drink industry and makes the flavors that are used in CSD's. They then decide what level of carbonation increases the quality of the refreshment in the CSD. They also have to decide if the beverage is being designed to be chuggable. A chuggable CSD will have less CO2 than a non-chuggable CSD for obvious reasons (BURP!!!!!) Different levels of carbonation are then tested in consumer taste panels, where people are asked to rate their preferences. Ultimately the consumer decides what level of CO2 tickles their fancy and their noses. I hope that this answers your question. You can go to the following link for more information on CSD's: http://www.pepsi.com/current/index.html
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