Fact Finder - Food and Drink

Fact
The Invention of 'Diet Coke'
Category
Food and Drink
Subcategory
Drinks
Country
United States
Description
Diet Coke was the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. It was not simply a sugar-free version of the original Coca-Cola; it was a completely different flavor formula based on the 'New Coke' recipe that was eventually released in 1985. The sweetener used was aspartame. Because Diet Coke lacks the density of the high-fructose corn syrup found in regular Coke, a curious physical phenomenon occurs: a can of Diet Coke will float in a tank of water, whereas a can of regular Coke will sink. This is because the sugar in regular Coke makes the liquid denser than water ($1.11$ g/ml vs $1.00$ g/ml), while the tiny amount of artificial sweetener in Diet Coke does not significantly change the water's density.