Soda Flavor

[harakim]

I had a really weird experience last week when I happened to be drinking a bit of soda. Here are the observations:
1. Some soda tastes strongly like it contains mercaptan or some toxic chemical
2. The sodas that taste like this are made by at least Pepsi and Coke, but possibly other brands
3. The sodas that taste like this have come from multiple regions of the United States
4. Not all sodas, even of the same type (ie Vanilla Coke), taste like this, even when I drink them in rapid succession
5. Other people could not taste it
6. I have never experienced this before (although, to be fair, I go months between sodas)

It really seems like they have been putting something in the soda. Has anyone else noticed this?

[Niemand]

What does mercaptan taste like then?

They've been ordered to lower their sugar levels here, so have added in other stuff instead.

[Chip]

Ethyl mercaptan is added to propane as an odorant at about 25ppm. It is smellable in air at about 1ppb.

Some interesting talk about it:

https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=428550

[Chip]

I located a picture of Ethyl Mercaptan.

download (5).jpeg (58.42 KiB) Viewed 336 times

[mike_rumble]

I had a really weird experience last week when I happened to be drinking a bit of soda. Here are the observations:
1. Some soda tastes strongly like it contains mercaptan or some toxic chemical
2. The sodas that taste like this are made by at least Pepsi and Coke, but possibly other brands
3. The sodas that taste like this have come from multiple regions of the United States
4. Not all sodas, even of the same type (ie Vanilla Coke), taste like this, even when I drink them in rapid succession
5. Other people could not taste it
6. I have never experienced this before (although, to be fair, I go months between sodas)

It really seems like they have been putting something in the soda. Has anyone else noticed this?

My consumption of Coca-Cola has gone down as I get older, but I have also noticed this. I think it has something to do with washing/rinsing of the cans or bottles (plastic or glass). Probably some containers make it through the rinsing process before they're completely rinsed off. Less likely to be noticed with regular size cans and most noticable with glass bottles. I've bought a six pack of Coca-Cola in glass bottles onlly to discard five of them after tasting the first one. Always promise myself not to buy the glass bottles, but sometimes I do anyway.

[keeprunning]

Lots of people's tastes have been affected, they are attributing it to covid, but I noticed it with bagged lettuce and other items before covid even started. I've tasted something similar in diet dr pepper and other diet sodas. I'm an occasional drinker like you, maybe our taste buds are more sensitive. Definitely a chemical/gas type taste. I don't know, but I made a connection to bisulphate or other similar preservatives when I ate from a shrimp tray and got the same taste and read the label. For sure some crazy preservatives. I don't get it when I buy a head of lettuce and wash and cut myself, just the bagged ones. I've gotten it from canteloupe and mustard, too.

[sandman45]

I had a really weird experience last week when I happened to be drinking a bit of soda. Here are the observations:
1. Some soda tastes strongly like it contains mercaptan or some toxic chemical
2. The sodas that taste like this are made by at least Pepsi and Coke, but possibly other brands
3. The sodas that taste like this have come from multiple regions of the United States
4. Not all sodas, even of the same type (ie Vanilla Coke), taste like this, even when I drink them in rapid succession
5. Other people could not taste it
6. I have never experienced this before (although, to be fair, I go months between sodas)

It really seems like they have been putting something in the soda. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yea lately I get some coke or something and it never tastes like I remember it..

[harakim]

Lots of people's tastes have been affected, they are attributing it to covid, but I noticed it with bagged lettuce and other items before covid even started. I've tasted something similar in diet dr pepper and other diet sodas. I'm an occasional drinker like you, maybe our taste buds are more sensitive. Definitely a chemical/gas type taste. I don't know, but I made a connection to bisulphate or other similar preservatives when I ate from a shrimp tray and got the same taste and read the label. For sure some crazy preservatives. I don't get it when I buy a head of lettuce and wash and cut myself, just the bagged ones. I've gotten it from canteloupe and mustard, too.

That's really interesting. I could see it being something like bisulphate... I have also recently noticed some hotels smelling like this.

[keeprunning]

I heard it can be low b12, so when I start tasting things like that I take b vitamins. Haven't noticed it in a while, but haven't eaten as many of the culprits, either.