sugarfree products
I'm becoming a true connoisseur of sugar-free foods. Although the "artificialness" is apparent and jarring in mock-foods like the sugar-free strawberry preserves I bought because the store didn't have regular preserves, the situation is different in obliquely artificial foods like gum, candy and the resurging "candy shot" format, which are those hard pellets often minty or sour. Here, the tang and immediate distribution throughout your mouth of aspartame and sorbitol are quite enjoyable, as is the ghostly lingering aftertaste and its somewhat unpredictable effects on other flavors.
What brought me to this heresy? Mostly Orbit gum; their "citrusmint" flavor is great, as close as we can get to a Juicy Fruit which doesn't go bland immediately. I suppose they could make a sugared version and just don't want to for marketing reasons, however I've found that the initial bite into the gum has a nice "snap" to it which is probably due to the altered gum base which is used to give structure in lieu of sugar.
Also, did you know that the powder on wrapped gum is actually low-grade marble dust? It has to be flavorless and safe, and also most food-derived powders are humectants which would defeat the point.
I just ate a packet of IceBreakers Sours; they are made with a little bit of something called "neotame", which made me think of parepin when I first read it. Your body breaks it down into methanol, but even assuming 1:1 metabolism by weight, it's just around 0.1mg of methanol total so I don't think I'll go blind. The upshot of neotame is that it (supposedly) doesn't break down into phenylalanine, which is the big problem with standard aspartame (those sensitive (phenylketonurics) tend to die or have brain damage). It is however an untrusted new technology, and I first saw it on a label today though it's been around since 2002.
What brought me to this heresy? Mostly Orbit gum; their "citrusmint" flavor is great, as close as we can get to a Juicy Fruit which doesn't go bland immediately. I suppose they could make a sugared version and just don't want to for marketing reasons, however I've found that the initial bite into the gum has a nice "snap" to it which is probably due to the altered gum base which is used to give structure in lieu of sugar.
Also, did you know that the powder on wrapped gum is actually low-grade marble dust? It has to be flavorless and safe, and also most food-derived powders are humectants which would defeat the point.
I just ate a packet of IceBreakers Sours; they are made with a little bit of something called "neotame", which made me think of parepin when I first read it. Your body breaks it down into methanol, but even assuming 1:1 metabolism by weight, it's just around 0.1mg of methanol total so I don't think I'll go blind. The upshot of neotame is that it (supposedly) doesn't break down into phenylalanine, which is the big problem with standard aspartame (those sensitive (phenylketonurics) tend to die or have brain damage). It is however an untrusted new technology, and I first saw it on a label today though it's been around since 2002.