Could you drink a mouse without even knowing it? Pepsi appears to have raised that question after issuing an unusually stomach-churning response to claims a rodent's body was found in a can of Mountain Dew bought by a man in the US.
Ronald Ball from Madison County, Illinois, is suing Pepsi because he says he found a mouse in his drink. But the drinks maker says it's simply not possible — the mouse would have turned into jelly if left in a can of Mountain Dew.
Ball filed papers saying he bought a can of the soft drink from a vending machine at work in 2009, and it contained a mouse. He claims when he called a telephone number on the can to complain, they sent an adjuster to retrieve the mouse.
But, Ball said, the company would not return the mouse until it had decomposed, ruling out additional testing by the plaintiff. Since then, the case has gone to court and Pepsi has moved to dismiss it.
Ball is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 (Dh183,600). Pepsi, represented by lawyers Steven Danekas and Cassiday Schade, denies his claims.
The case is still before local courts but is adding to the annals of popular and urban myths about what is actually in carbonated drinks.
And there are as many myths as there are truths about soda — the phrase ‘Cokelore' has even been coined to cover the phenomenon. Here, Gulf News gives you the low-down on pop culture.
1Tapping a soda can: Myth: By tapping, the can won't overflow.
Have you ever noticed some drinkers carefully tapping the lid of a soda can before pulling the tab. The common belief is that if you tap it, it won't overflow.
The myth came from smokers, who sometimes tap their cigarette three or four times on the packet. The action shakes loose any stray strands of tobacco and is believed to firm up the cigarette, making for a cigarette that requires a slightly harder inhaling action.
But there's no correlation between tobacco and the bubbles in a soda can.
The fizz in drinks is the mixture of the carbon dioxide gas and the watery liquid. In an unshaken can, the soda is bubble free because of the pressure in the can. Agitation — shaking it or letting it fall — increases the pressure inside. Because carbon dioxide wants to return to its natural unpressurised state, it rushes out of the can, causing the eruption of bubbles and froth. Tapping the can has absolutely no effect on the reaction.
2The soda geyser: Fact: Menthos and cola make for a spectacular spill.
This is true. And there is a scientific equation behind the eruption. In fact, it's one of the first things children learn if they attend fun science camps.
The sweet coating contains gelatin and gum arabic, which catalyses suddenly with potassium benzoate, aspartame and the CO2 in cola, causing a process of ‘nucleation'.
Menthos mints also have a ‘pitted' coating, and these small pits allow for a greater surface area for nucleation to occur. The aspartame, used as a sugar substitute, also lowers the surface tension, allowing for more nucleation. Caffeine does not accelerate the reaction. So don't try drinking Menthos and cola together because you'll be left with one frothy mouth and a fizzy, sticky puddle to clean up.
And yes, there is actually a Guinness World Record on the number of simultaneous soda geysers set off — 2,865 in a Philippines mall in October 2010.
3) It's got cocaine! Myth: Cola contains cocaine and you can test positive for narcotics use. When the real thing came on the market in 1885, it was a secret blend of carbonated water, caramel, flavourings and the extract of coca leaves and kola nuts. While the exact formulation of Coke remains a trade secret, coca extracts were gradually reduced from the beverage before all cocaine traces were removed in 1929, according to Secret Formula, a company history written by Frederick Allen. There is no cocaine in it, so you won't test positive for narcotics. It does, however, contain caffeine.
4) It's a cleaner: Fact: Soda makes a great metal cleaner.
If you want to make your coins sparkle, place it in soda.
And yes, the coin will come out cleaner. The reason? Soda is slightly acidic, and the active ingredients will gradually erode surface dirt on any metal object.
This is the same science that makes vinegar a natural cleaner — not as sticky, but slightly smellier.
And there is a scientific basis for the cleaning abilities of sodas. When carbon dioxide is added to the solution to make it effervescent — bubbly — a trace amount of the CO2 reacts in the solution to form carbonic acid. It is this carbonic acid which etches the surface of metals.
The practicality of using soda as an everyday cleaner, however, is negated by the fact that it's sticky and needs to be cleaned up after being used as a cleaner.
5) Where's the nail? Myth: A nail will dissolve in cola in 24 hours.
Sorry, not true. Because sodas contain small amounts of carbonic acid, they have the ability to make metal shiny by etching away surface impurities. But there is a big difference between surface etching and dissolution of a metal object such as a nail. For a nail to be dissolved, it would need to be immersed in a much stronger corrosive liquid such as sulphuric or hydrochloric acid.
There's as much chance of a nail dissolving in soda as there is in it dissolving in a mutton biryani.
6) Save the tab! Fact: The tabs are worth collecting.
Yes, it is worthwhile saving the tabs, and the cans as well. Both are made from aluminium, a metal which should be recycled.
7) Poprocks and cola: Myth: If you consume Poprocks and soda together, you can die.
Sorry, there is absolutely no truth in this common urban myth. Poprocks are a children's confectionery that provides the sensation of exploding in your mouth when mixed with saliva. But if you swallow Poprocks and cola together, your stomach won't burst. You'll simply release the CO2 from the cola into an acidic environment of your stomach. You'll just burrrrrrrrrp!
