Powerade

[snowangel]

The kids left a bottle each (20 oz. bottles) of Coca Cola and Powerade on the back stoop last night. Temps down to 20.

Coca cola frozen solid this morning. Powerade still liquid. Why? I didn't realize until looking at the labels that Powerade (at least the mountain blast flavor) have coconut oil in them!

Diana wondered if one of the ingredients was akin to anti-freeze, and she and Peter agreed that they will no longer drink Powerade.

I'll put the bottle in the deep freeze (zero degrees) and see what happens.

[Katherine]

It's likely that the high sugar and salt levels are what keeps it liquid.

According to the official product nutrition information on its webpage, Powerade has no fat of any kind. What does your ingredients list say?

[Mayhaw Man]

I believe that you will find that salt is the active anti freeze here. The stuff is chock full of it.

[Katherine]

Besides which coconut oil is a solid at room temperature, which would probably have to be chemically modified to prevent it from forming greasy white clumps floating on top of the liquid. Ick.

[snowangel]

It's likely that the high sugar and salt levels are what keeps it liquid.

According to the official product nutrition information on its webpage, Powerade has no fat of any kind. What does your ingredients list say?

Ingredients:

water, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin (blucose polymers), citric acid, natural flavors, salt, potassium citrate, modified food starch, coconut oil, potassium phosphate, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, niacinamide (B3), blue 1, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamin (B12).

Nutrition label says 8 oz. per serving (servings per container 2.5 -- like anyone splits these up like this; they seem to be marketed as single servings). Calories (energy) 70. No fat, 55 mg. sodium, 30 mg potassium, 19 g carbohydrates (sugars 15 g), no protein. It is a blue color and looks alien.

I did not purchase this; it was given to Peter. What in the hell is all of that stuff that's in it?

[hillvalley]

When I played lacrosse in high school our coach had a freezer full of the yellow Gatorade (Powerade was still just a glimmer in a CEO's mind.....). We lived off this stuff, partly because we could stick it in the freezer and not worry about it turning to ice. I shutter to think of what four seasons worth of Gatorade has done to my body.

[snowangel]

I finally worked up the courage to taste this stuff. It is nasty. Since it is in a wide-mouth bottle, you are hit with a sweet, artificial scent (odor?) before the taste hits. I should add that I don't really like the taste of most beverages in which some sort of "ose" is a primary ingredient.

I had to brush my teeth to get rid of the aftertaste. It is not a "strong" taste, but a rather watery one, but none-the-less, it has staying power.

I guess I don't understand why not drink water (Mpls. water is great). The price is right, and I don't have to brush my teeth after consuming it.

[Katherine]

What in the hell is all of that stuff that's in it?

water

high fructose corn syrup - sweetener

maltodextrin (glucose polymers) - sweetener

citric acid - sourness

natural flavors

salt - electrolyte

potassium citrate - electrolyte

potassium phosphate - electrolyte

modified food starch - texture

coconut oil - texture?

sucrose acetate isobutyrate - ?

niacinamide (B3) - B vitamin

pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6) - B vitamin

cyanocobalamin (B12) - B vitamin

blue 1 - coloring

I'm guessing that the modified food starch is there to stabilize the trace of coconut oil (less than one calorie, remember).

The sucrose acetate isobutyrate is a synthetic compound derived from cane sugar. It seems to show up in beverages, nail polish, and veterinary drug delivery systems. Some sort of stabilizer, probably.

I personally avoid consuming things that resemble alien amniotic fluid.

[summertruffle]

Gatorade freezes. I do it quite a bit and let it thaw on the way to wherever I'm going.

[tryska]

gatorade is the best thing ever.

powerade is some sort of chemical cousin to it.