Something strange happening in my cola float

[Dunkelheit]

Maybe someone can explain this.

I made a float, starting with a glass of cola and putting a scoop of ice cream in it. After it stopped fizzing, I stirred it so that the ice cream melted and the foam settled down and was more or less incorporated back into the liquid. When the glass had been sitting for a few minutes, I noticed that the cream portion, which was slightly curdly the way that an Italian soda will be when you add the cream after the soda, had separated out. This is fairly normal and I usually just stir it back in before drinking. This time, I noticed that the colour of the soda had disappeared as well, leaving the liquid portion more or less clear. The creamy part was slightly beige, and when I stirred it back in, it looked as it usually did when the dark cola and white ice cream mixed.

Any idea how the caramel colouring could have been removed from the liquid?

[Nametag]

Details, man, details! Was it diet cola or regular? What flavor of ice cream, and what brand?

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Nametag

Details, man, details! Was it diet cola or regular? What flavor of ice cream, and what brand?

Regular Pepsi (European, so cane sugar rather than corn syrup), and Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. ;-) Are these critical details? Inquiring minds want to know.

[MobiusStripes]

Originally Posted by Jeneva

Regular Pepsi (European, so cane sugar rather than corn syrup), and Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. ;-) Are these critical details? Inquiring minds want to know.

You have good tastes. That's all I have to offer

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by MobiusStripes

You have good tastes. That's all I have to offer

Well, I did marry a Scotsman. ;-)

[Leo Bloom]

Where I'm from it's Breyers vanilla and A&W root beer. They have (had?) drive throughs serving only that.

Some people, of course, can't stand root beer. I only drink it as floats.

How long can the OP be ninjaed before someone actually tries to help him out? We're all violating SD policy....Sorry OP.

[MobiusStripes]

Well, trying to be helpful... is it possible the ice cream froze the soda and the dye separated from the near-ice?

I'm in the US so I can't test with the cane sugar pepsi. I'll try to duplicate with ice cream and whatever else I have around. Oh, the things we do for science!

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

Where I'm from it's Breyers vanilla and A&W root beer. They have (had?) drive throughs serving only that.

Some people, of course, can't stand root beer. I only drink it as floats.

How long can the OP be ninjaed before someone actually tries to help him out? We're all violating SD policy....Sorry OP.

Her, thanks. ;-)

I wish I could get root beer and Breyer's ice cream here.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by MobiusStripes

Well, trying to be helpful... is it possible the ice cream froze the soda and the dye separated from the near-ice?

I'm in the US so I can't test with the cane sugar pepsi. I'll try to duplicate with ice cream and whatever else I have around. Oh, the things we do for science!

I appreciate your sacrifice. ;-) I don't know if it made a difference that I added the ice cream to the soda rather than the other way around. You might have to try it both ways... for science, you know.

[Duckster]

Originally Posted by Jeneva

Regular Pepsi (European, so cane sugar rather than corn syrup), and Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. ;-) Are these critical details? Inquiring minds want to know.

Pepsi is made with real sugar (not HFCS) and is available across America. It's called Pepsi Throwback. BTW, "Haagen-Dazs" is fake Danish for "Made in Brooklyn," by the Pillsbury Dough Boy (originally two Polish Jews). Geez, talk about melting pot.

[Leo Bloom]

Originally Posted by Jeneva

Her, thanks. ;-)

I wish I could get root beer and Breyer's ice cream here.

In what part of the civilized world do you reside?

[Siam Sam]

Try mixing equal parts of Coke and Kahlua. I don't know if that will fix your problem, but you won't really care.

[PaulParkhead]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

In what part of the civilized world do you reside?

OP and I are in Hamilton, Scotland - so not in any part of the civilized world.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Duckster

Pepsi is made with real sugar (not HFCS) and is available across America. It's called Pepsi Throwback. BTW, "Haagen-Dazs" is fake Danish for "Made in Brooklyn," by the Pillsbury Dough Boy (originally two Polish Jews). Geez, talk about melting pot.

They had Pepsi Raw here for a while, which was made from all natural ingredients (including all natural cane sugar, heh) instead of mostly industrial chemicals. I really liked that stuff, but they didn't market it well enough, and discontinued it when it didn't sell as well as it might have if they'd made more of an effort to get the word out.

But at least all* the soda here is made with sugar instead of HFCS (or glucose-fructose as it's called here.

*okay, all except the crap that they put artificial sweeteners in, which I can't tolerate. The ONLY commonly found brand of root beer I've seen so far has aspartame. Bastids.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by PaulParkhead

OP and I are in Hamilton, Scotland - so not in any part of the civilized world.

It's not SO uncivilized here. I mean, we're not in Renfrew.

[Nametag]

OK, here's the scoop: the acid-proof caramel color used in colas carries a negative charge in solution. It's made by heat treating high-fructose corn syrup in the presence of sulfite and ammonia, and is therefore also known as "sulfite ammonia caramel color."

Unlike lower-priced ice creams, which are emulsified with carrageenan (negatively charged), methylcellulose (neutral), and the like, superpremium ice creams like Haagen-Dazs are emulsified only with egg yolk, which contains lecithin, which is positively charged.

It's my guess that the lecithin and the caramel color are strongly drawn to each other, so that along the bubbling ice cream-cola interface, the heavy, grainy brown foam contains a large amount of a lecithin/caramel/butterfat complex, which binds the caramel color and lightens the cola.

When you stir in the foam, the complex breaks down, because you have exposed the complex to an aqueous acid environment, where the lecithin is attracted by the phosphoric acid and the butterfat is too dispersed to stabilize the complex.

Just my WAG.

[Leo Bloom]

Originally Posted by Nametag

....When you stir in the foam, the complex breaks down, because you have exposed the complex to an aqueous acid environment, where the lecithin is attracted by the phosphoric acid and the butterfat is too dispersed to stabilize the complex.
.....

But I've never heard of the condition of OP except till now. Why doesn't this happen to everyone?

[Little Nemo]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

But I've never heard of the condition of OP except till now. Why doesn't this happen to everyone?

I think you've been whooshed by science.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

But I've never heard of the condition of OP except till now. Why doesn't this happen to everyone?

Because most people use cheaper ice cream in their floats? ;-) I dunno. I like Breyer's better because it's got that hard graininess to it. I like the crunchy ice interface that builds up on the ice cream when it reacts with the soda. The creamier the ice cream, the less that happens. I got some really hard ice cream here a while back that worked perfectly for my purposes. Didn't notice the colour separation with that, but I also ate off the ice cream's surface as the crunchy bit formed instead of mixing it in until it melted, so maybe that had something to do with it.

[Leo Bloom]

Breyer's in Scotland! Who woulda thunk? Next thing you'll be telling me people there drink egg creams.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

Breyer's in Scotland! Who woulda thunk? Next thing you'll be telling me people there drink egg creams.

Not so far. I was saying I wish I could get it here, haven't seen it. Not to say they haven't got some rather nice local brands, but one misses the familiar. ;-) If they did have it, I wouldn't be using Haagen-Dazs. ;-P

[Leo Bloom]

I'll trade you a pint for a stonner.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

I'll trade you a pint for a stonner.

For a what now? ;-) Pity the Breyer's wouldn't survive the crossing.

[Darth Panda]

No true Scotsman would drink a float with Pepsi instead of Root Beer.

[AHunter3]

It's a message from the Float God, telling you that you're supposed to put the ice cream in the glass FIRST and THEN pour the soda over the top of it.

[Leo Bloom]

A stonner.

Other food fad from Scotland: deep-fried Mars bars. Next thing you know you'll be saying "what's a haggis."

Whatup widdat?

[Leo Bloom]

Originally Posted by AHunter3

It's a message from the Float God, telling you that you're supposed to put the ice cream in the glass FIRST and THEN pour the soda over the top of it.

That's how I do it too, BTW. It makes sense; it sends the life-giving water of the soda downward to release the spirit (or anima) of the ice cream, which lay in potentia.

[Siam Sam]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

That's how I do it too, BTW. It makes sense; it sends the life-giving water of the soda downward to release the spirit (or anima) of the ice cream, which lay in potentia.

Werner Herzog would call it the "Voodoo of Ice Cream."

[Leo Bloom]

I was talking to a Scot(sman?) today, and he said he always used to drink dandelion and burdock. Never heard of it--although he told where I could get it in NYC--and lo and behold:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_and_burdock

In USA of course there are many types/styles of "root beer." But I can't even imagine how this one compares with A&W, Mugs, etc., all the most generic ones. Should I run out to the overpriced Scottish import store and buy some?

[Lukeinva]

The secret Pepsi recipe is able change from cane sugar to HFCS??

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Darth Panda

No true Scotsman would drink a float with Pepsi instead of Root Beer.

You try finding root beer here that doesn't have aspartame in. ;-P

Originally Posted by AHunter3

It's a message from the Float God, telling you that you're supposed to put the ice cream in the glass FIRST and THEN pour the soda over the top of it.

Did that last night, purely in the name of science you understand, and the same thing happened.

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

A stonner.

Other food fad from Scotland: deep-fried Mars bars. Next thing you know you'll be saying "what's a haggis."

Whatup widdat?

I haven't been in Scotland long enough to go native.

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

I was talking to a Scot(sman?) today, and he said he always used to drink dandelion and burdock. Never heard of it--although he told where I could get it in NYC--and lo and behold:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_and_burdock

In USA of course there are many types/styles of "root beer." But I can't even imagine how this one compares with A&W, Mugs, etc., all the most generic ones. Should I run out to the overpriced Scottish import store and buy some?

Don't do it. It's nasty. Bitter as all get-out. It's more a liver tonic than a refreshment. Root Beer as we know it is not made from these roots. I believe Sasparilla was the root used for what we know as root beer, though modern root beer probably bears as much resemblance to sasparilla as modern marshmallows do to their ancestor.

Though if I ever find one of the Fentiman's variety, I might try it. Their ginger beer is very nice, though the Victorian Lemonade is not to my taste.

[Leo Bloom]

Does this help in solving your problem?

From "Protein distribution at air interfaces in dairy foams and ice cream as affected by casein dissociation and emulsifiers", International Dairy Journal, 14:7, 2004.

Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of EDTA-induced partial dissociation of casein micelles and the presence of emulsifiers on the aerating properties of milk proteins and the composition of air–serum interfaces in both dairy foams and ice cream. It was observed that added EDTA increased soluble caseins and improved the whippability of milk protein solutions but did not increase the overrun of ice cream. Immuno-gold labeled specimens for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of ice cream showed that the composition of the air–serum interface depended on ice cream formulation. EDTA induced more non-micellar caseins to adsorb at both fat–serum and air–serum interfaces while mono- and di-glycerides (MDG) caused fat globules to directly adsorb to air–serum interfaces. The presence of EDTA in ice cream increased the stability of the ice cream emulsion to shear and greatly decreased the proportion of fat globules involved in air–serum interfacial adsorption.*






*EDTA is added to some food as a preservative or stabilizer to prevent catalytic oxidative decoloration, which is catalyzed by metal ions. [Wiki]

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Leo Bloom

Does this help in solving your problem?

SCIENCE!

Er, short answer, it might if I understood it. ;-) My chemistry minor is a bit rusty. I'll take another look at it tomorrow with a fresher mind, heh.