Sugar content of cola

[thegers91]

Hi there,

 

I have been given a project in school which is to research and compare the sugar content of cola, diet coke and coke zero.

 

I'm struggling to come up with tecnique(s) which could be used for this project- a titration perhaps? I'm not sure.

 

I believe this could potentially be an interesting project if the most straight-forward and effective techinique is used.

 

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

[hermanntrude]

you could read the nutrition information on the cans

[iNow]

I thought that, too, but that only lists carbohydrates. My guess is that the teacher is looking for something more substantial than "21 grams carb."

[big314mp]

It doesn't list the sugar content?

 

I suppose you could do a density calculation, or calculate based on the calories....

[Avalanche3319]

I'm guessing a blood glucose meter would only measure the glucose form of sugar right? It probably wouldnt be able to measure the soda sugar (fructose?)

[Gilded]

Titration with Benedict's reagent is probably the easiest method.

 

I suppose you could also start with the premise that Diet and Zero do not contain any sugar.

[CaptainPanic]

Better take normal tap water as your base line, and also test diet and zero coke.

[jimmydasaint]

It would make sense to precipitate the reducing sugars in Coke with Benedicts including the monosaccharides and also some disaccharides as others have already mentioned. You could ask for access to a colorimeter to measure the percentage absorbance of the precipitate.

 

You would then use a series of dilutions of a known concentration of glucose to compare to the precipitate from the Coke.

 

Even if you did not have access to a colorimeter, you would still be able to weigh precipitates. I had better stop here in case I give too much away...Good luck.

[hermanntrude]

I thought that, too, but that only lists carbohydrates. My guess is that the teacher is looking for something more substantial than "21 grams carb."

 

i'd be prepared to bet that there are no complex carbs in coca cola. All the carbs are sugars

 

I'm guessing a blood glucose meter would only measure the glucose form of sugar right? It probably wouldnt be able to measure the soda sugar (fructose?)

 

they're also calibrated to work in very specialised conditions... at the very least, the pH would need to be controlled

[big314mp]

they're also calibrated to work in very specialised conditions... at the very least, the pH would need to be controlled

 

You could possibly calibrate by using reference solutions, in order to account for the differences between coke and blood.