Not only in our country, but also abroad, there are determinations and reviews on this subject, so this difference in taste is clearly found.
Although there is no 100% scientific study on the subject, some of the opinions of the experts are quite logical. Here are those reasons:
First, let’s look at what Coca-Cola answers to this mysterious question.
Answer on the official website:
Coca-Cola has been produced to the same high quality standards everywhere since 1886. The taste of food products does not differ depending on the packaging. All of our packaging we use is suitable to preserve the taste of our products in the best possible way. As with all food products, Coca-Cola should not be kept under direct sunlight and high temperatures and should be stored under appropriate conditions. In this way, it will preserve its taste as on the first day.
Coke companies deny this, but let’s continue to chase the truth.
That mysterious formula of cola is the same in every package, but the packages can really change the taste of cola. According to Sara Risch, a food chemist and member of the Institute of Food Technologists, this may be due to some easily interacting substances.
For example, the polymer coating the aluminum cans can absorb a small amount of soluble flavoring from the cola. Acetaldehyde in plastic bottles can also pass into cola. Such potential chemical exposures are regulated in healthcare settings, but even the small amounts allowed can alter the taste.
So why is cola in a glass bottle tastier?
Because the glass bottle consists only of glass, it does not contain any other chemical components. Therefore, there is nothing in it that can change the taste of cola. The cola you drink from the glass bottle is the real cola taste. It is even recommended that drinking water be in glass bottles and carboys.
Tin cans, on the other hand, are aluminum and their interiors are lined with a polymer that may contain BPA or Bishphenol A.
Rick Sachleben, a retired chemist with the American Chemical Society, says this has little effect on taste. “The amount of that ingredient that goes into the contents of a container is so low that I don’t think it will have any effect on flavor.” says.
This liner preserves the taste of cola and prevents it from being contaminated by metal. Yet despite this primer, people still think there is a metal taste in the can. In fact, there is no metal mixed into the coke. Our tongue, which is very sensitive to metal, touches the metal while drinking coke and we experience this feeling. Coke only comes into contact with the metal at this stage. We experience a similar feeling when drinking water in a metal glass.
Why does cola in a plastic bottle taste worse than in a glass bottle?
Plastic bottles are made with PET or polyethylene terephthalate. While both cans and plastic bottles contain chemicals you don’t want to consume in large quantities, the beverages in them are perfectly safe to drink. These packages undergo extensive testing.
According to Christy Spackman, a taste researcher at Harvey Mudd College, humans can detect even tiny amounts of contaminants. Although tin cans and plastic bottles are composed of chemicals, we said that the drinks in them are safe to drink, but still the amount of purity is not zero. Even the slightest contamination can affect the taste.
Coke’s carbon dioxide is also affected by the structure of the packaging.
According to a 2009 study by Science Magazine, the gas of cola can also cause taste changes. In addition to the tingling sensation caused by the amount of bubbles, even the gas coming out of the nose increases the aroma taken from the cola.
The carbon dioxide level in cola may vary depending on the packaging. But how?
Carbon dioxide, which can slowly leak from the plastic bottle, cannot leak from the glass bottle. The structure of glass is quite tight, it does not consist of a loose mesh like plastic. The same tightness applies to aluminum. The diffusion rate differs according to the nature of the substance.
Diffusion: Spontaneous diffusion of substances from a denser medium to a less dense medium. In physical chemistry, the random movements of molecules depending on their kinetic energies are called.
Temperature and light can also cause taste changes.
When the lid of the package kept in heat is opened, the gas inside escapes more quickly. Since plastic bottles can easily deteriorate in heat, serious deterioration may occur in the taste of cola. Light also affects molecules, tin cans are more advantageous in this regard. Therefore, storage conditions are also very important in order to preserve the taste of cola.
Sources: Business Insider, Popular Science
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