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Is caffeine a flavoring agent in cola soft drinks?

R R Griffiths¹, E M Vernotica

¹Department of Psychiatry, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. rgriff@jhmi.edu

Archives of Family Medicine

|August 6, 2000

Summary

Most cola drinkers cannot detect caffeine as a flavor agent, challenging manufacturer claims. This suggests caffeine

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Area of Science:

Food science and nutrition
Sensory perception research
Pharmacology of caffeine

Background:

High soft drink consumption raises nutritional and health concerns.
Caffeine is present in about 70% of US soft drinks.
Manufacturers claim caffeine is added as a flavoring agent.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of caffeine in the flavor profile of cola beverages.
To assess caffeine's effect on the detection threshold for flavor differences in colas.

Main Methods:

A double-blind, crossover study was conducted with 25 regular cola consumers.
A flavor-detection procedure evaluated various caffeine concentrations (0.05-1.6 mg/mL).
The study measured the percentage of subjects detecting flavor differences at each concentration.

Main Results:

Flavor difference detection increased with caffeine concentration.
At typical cola concentrations (0.1 mg/mL), only 8% of subjects detected a flavor difference.
Mean correct detection rates at this concentration were at chance levels (53%).

Conclusions:

The low detection rate contradicts manufacturer claims about caffeine's role as a primary flavor agent.
High soft drink consumption is likely driven by caffeine's psychoactive and dependence-forming properties.
Public, medical, and regulatory awareness of caffeine's drug effects is crucial.

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