Food Theory: The SECRET to McDonald’s Sprite!

Everyone knows that McDonald's Sprite tastes so much better than regular Sprite, why is it so good? What's the

secret

to McDonald's soda fountains? It's a great question that's been floating around the internet for the past five years and that's what I aim to answer today. let me tell you that the truth is in the place you least suspected hello internet, welcome to

food

theory

, the channel that hits different for a while now the internet has been obsessed with a gaseous mystery that is McDonald's Sprite in case you never found out You've ever had It's like perfectly cold liquid Pop Rocks full of lemon-lime flavor.

The general consensus is that the Sprite served in McDonald's soda fountain is stronger, giving it an electric or even spicy flavor. Why is it spicy? You must order an extra spicy Sprite. extra spicy whoa spicy others have said this is so powerful it could probably fry fish. I'm about to freeze fish. I have something strong enough. However, my personal favorite flavor comparison is that it tastes like what a Super Saiyan 2 looks like, crunchy and full of lightning, it's even gotten to the point where McDonald's and Sprites themselves have had to acknowledge this trend. Hi everyone, Chris K.

I'm in the mood for a little spicy first, the spicy Sprite, which is spicy, but obviously the next question everyone has on their hands. mind is exactly what makes the drink so explosive, so good, so crunchy, well, the Internet has many theories, theories about

food

that try to answer exactly that, in general, the guesses that circulate on the Internet boil down to four key factors . The first is that the Sprite syrup shipped to restaurants receives special treatment due to a long-standing partnership between Coca-Cola and McDonald's. Coca-Cola ships the syrup in plastic bags to other restaurants and stores.

They ship the syrup to McDonald's in stainless steel containers. The second

theory

is that carbonation levels are simply higher at McDonald's. then you get more carbonation, that's why it burns your nose. Third, the Sprite is extra sweet to better combat the salty taste of McDonald's fries. McDonald's hired sensory scientists and discovered that the salt they use in their fries enhances the Sprite's flavor. and finally some threw all that other stuff in the trash and said there's no difference but it's all a result of McDonald's having a bigger straw, apparently the straw is bigger so you get more flavor in your mouth.

Well, this is definitely who writes this. So today we're going to end this debate once and for all by investigating the facts and then running our own battery of scientific tests. Why is McDonald's Sprite so different? Is it different or is it just a self-fulfilling prophecy started by the Internet? exaggeration machine that everyone now believes implicitly get ready, theorists, today we obey our thirst, but we follow the facts now before arriving at my great taste experiment, putting all these theories to the test. I think it makes sense to look at the possible explanations one by one.

It's time to see if there's anything we can debunk right from the start. The first hypothesis I've seen circulating is that Coca-Cola specially delivers the Sprite syrup to the McDonald's restaurant in these large stainless steel tanks. This is the result of a long process. ongoing relationship between the two companies and, from the beginning, this seems to be rooted in a certain amount of truth. You see, the relationship between Coca-Cola and McDonald began in the early days of the restaurant's expansion, but the two companies largely partnered and grew together. Their relationship is so strong that Coca-Cola is contractually prohibited from selling syrup to other restaurants for less than McDonald's pays, even if it means costing them business.

There is even a division at Coca-Cola dedicated specifically to the McDonald's business, aptly named the McDonald's division. We're saving the creativity for marketing and not the naming department. It goes without saying that Coca-Cola works closely with McDonald's to ensure that they have everything they need to deliver their product in the best way possible and in turn McDonald's spends a lot of resources to ensure that they are providing their customers the best Coca-Cola experience they can, but does any of this really affect how the syrup is shipped? If you see? The concept of delivering the stainless steel vats in the shape of a snake makes a lot of sense. helps ensure that the flavor of the syrup is as pure as possible and when you look at the reality of the situation, Coca-Cola is sending syrups to McDonald's and steals that there is only one problem: it is not Sprite syrup, according to James McIntyre, owner of A Pennsylvania franchise, not all Coca-Cola products receive the same treatment.

The Coca-Cola syrup that arrives in stainless steel tanks, the Sprite, however, is not like that, but rather it comes in the standard plastic bags that all others use, that's right, it's just a box with a plastic bag that even We went to our local McDonald's and asked to speak to the manager in the most non-attentive way possible to see if we could get confirmation of any of this and yes, just Coca- Cola gets the stainless steel tub treatment, not Sprite, so that's a major theory debunked. Right off the bat, then water quality and overall carbonation level, as hype surrounding McDonald's sodas has circulated on the Internet for the past five years, several sources have begun to shed light on just how clean McDonald's sodas really are.

McDonald's soda fountains and this is where our friend James McIntyre, the Pennsylvania franchise owner I talked about in the last paragraph, helps us again by revealing that McDonald's has not won, but four different water filtration systems by the that the water has to pass before reaching the Soda Tower. This process includes a state. State-of-the-art reverse osmosis filter that works by applying pressure to unfiltered water, forcing it through a membrane and into a storage tank which in turn helps remove dissolved minerals, bacteria and other solids, making make the water practically tasteless before the syrup is mixed. To ensure a consistent flavor profile wherever you go in the country, generally a restaurant or gas station that has a soda fountain will connect the water line directly to the machine, they rarely incorporate a filter let alone 4. this makes the process simpler and cheaper, but apparently McDonald's isn't afraid to spend a little more, but it's not all about purity, once the water is absolutely clean and tasteless, the next step in the process is to convert it in Sub-Zero, okay?

Exactly Sub-Zero but really very cold. See, the other big difference is the temperature at which McDonald's keeps everything. Typically, other soda fountains are set to instantly chill your sodas as they are dispensed so that they come out cold but not cold. Golden arches, on the other hand, pre-chill not only the filtered water but also the syrup to the perfect range between 33 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit, just above freezing temperatures. This range is important because they are the optimal temperatures for water carbonation. see CO2 or carbon dioxide, the chemical compound that makes soft drinks. Effervescence has a higher rate of absorption and dispersion in colder liquids;

In other words, the colder the liquid is, the more carbonation it can have. This is why hot drinks tend to go flat faster. Gas can escape more easily, so pre-cooling the water and syrup in the

sprite

prevents unwanted temperature fluctuations when the water and syrup are mixed in the soda fountain; In other words, the claim that McDonald's Sprite is more carbonated is technically true, but not for the reasons you might expect - it seems to have more to do with the colder temperatures of the water and syrup than with any type of artificial increase in the number of actual bubbles introduced into the mixture, but what happens?

The Syrup to Water Ratio One of the biggest myths you see floating around the internet is that the syrup to water ratio that comes out of McDonald's fountains is actually higher than that served in a typical

sprite

bottle or can. , which makes your soda sweeter. and therefore tastier or stronger for drinkers, this is an idea that McDonald's themselves have publicly shut down by saying that they don't have a special formula that says: I'm not going to naturally trust a corporation. Can we trust his word? The answer is. Actually, somewhere between yes and no, McDonald's says it strictly adheres to Coca-Cola's standard of a one-to-five ratio of syrup to water, or one ounce of syrup to five ounces of water.

They take into account the ice that is added to the drink, which means they have a slightly higher syrup content, but it is made so that once the ice is added, you taste the equivalent of the standard one to five ratio. So pro tip to everyone watching, don't skip the ice next time you drink McDonald's, you'll ruin the ratio, you'll ruin the art and it'll be too sweet, so we had our cup of Sprite straight from the source, nice and cold , with just the right amount of ice and flavor, but there's still something else at play here: French fries rumor number three says that McDonald's hired sensory scientists to help optimize how sweet and shiny combine with salty fries. to make the perfect match and, anecdotally, there is evidence to support this.

According to For Some Summer, it says that McDonald's has developed a special ketchup recipe, one that is sweeter and spicier than other brands and that is specifically designed to match the saltier flavor of its fries. According to my research, this has never been fully confirmed, but it is known that the company uses extensive taste testing to ensure their products are as delicious as possible, and if they make it with tomato sauce, is it too hard to believe that they also They do it with soft drinks, but that's not all? In the good old days of the 1980s, when cars ran on feet like The Flintstones, the fries at McDonald's were fried using beef tallow instead of the canola oil they use today, this made the taste of the fries French fries were incredibly tasty, unfortunately, beef suet is also incredibly unhealthy.

So in the 90's when the public became more concerned about the saturated fats in their food they switched to the good old vegetable oil, customers obviously started complaining so McDonald's started adding natural beef flavorings to mimic the old and beloved flavor. Yes, that means the fries at McDonald's are not vegan, so sorry to any of you vegans who have been happily eating the golden deliciousness, but hey, at least you had to pay 10 million dollars as part of a lawsuit for that very fact, anyway, today your potato chips still contain that rich Umami flavor coming from the combination of meat and salt flavor, along with the refreshing sourness and sweetness of the Sprite, and you yourself have the Bliss point, a term coined by market researcher Howard Moskowitz when describing the perfect balance between sugar, salt and fat.

These two complete each other like a fast food rom-com come to life, but none of that will matter if you're simply devouring the Sprite like an animal and this, my friends, is where one of the smallest parts of this process takes place. . the biggest difference straw hypothesis number four the size of the straw most people don't think twice about the straw, but McDonald's thought twice, third and fourth, for example, did you know that McDonald's straws in They are actually wider than normal, yes, the diameter? of a standard drinking straw is 0.24 inches, but a McDonald's straw has a diameter of 0.284 inches.

That may not seem like much, but it's enough of a difference that a regular straw can fit inside a McDonald's one, and how much of that? is changing the drinking experience well, the advantage of drinking with a straw is that it delivers less liquid to your mouth, allowing you to heat it faster and get more aroma and flavor through volatile organic compounds or vocs for short that help produce food aromas. and drinks we consume Aromas that intensify and become more complex when heated, which is why if you were to simply take a giant gulp of frozen Sprite, you would barely be able to taste much outside of the brain freeze that's ravaging your head, but with a straw it limits the amount of liquid you can put in your mouth at a time, allowing it to briefly warm up while also improving air circulation in your mouth when you drink, the straw also helps with carbonation because while a straw may seem soft to us , there are actually tons of little bumps and indentations there, all places where carbon dioxide molecules can attach, thus creating more bubbles thanThey promote more effervescence.

That's why paper straws that have even more imperfections can make carbonated drinks full of alcohol. go crazy or at least that's how science should go, but does any of this really make a substantial difference? Finally it's time to put all these variables to the test, take them away, live action matpat, okay, so with all our variables set and ready to go, it's time to put our money where our mouth is or put our Sprite where it is our mouth. I'm joined on the couch by the Human Resources representative, Rachel. Hello, happy to be here, it is the story that I must develop for you at this moment. that's okay, that sounds fancier than me, so before you we have a bunch of different varieties of sprites so we can do a side-by-side taste test on which is really the best version of sprites.

We also have variables of different types. sizes so we can see if the size of the straw plays into all of this and lastly we have the chips right here, it's lunch. Now, which is great, we have some chips so we can test if this Sprite is designed specifically to complement the salty taste of McDonald's fries or if that's just a myth and they're all the same, then how about Sprite? Sprite and I hope they all taste the same. I think with the fries I think we'll like that one for Vibes, yeah, but I don't think they're that different.

I really don't agree. 100 long-term viewers of our channels will know that I can taste the difference between Diet Coke, from the canned bottle to the fountain and glass. It's very easy for me, even from different restaurant franchises. I can tell you different Diet Cokes. an addict, I wouldn't be surprised if this flavor is very different, so without further ado, let's open these guys, should we open a bottle or something? Sure, just a talent, okay, Pleasant Sprite tastes like Sprite, it's not, it's not as carbonated, but this is a good sprite baseline, not as carbonated as I expected, but it also doesn't have that spicy taste that you associate well balanced, yeah, it's actually very soft, it's a soft Sprite, here's the big guy, I don't know what to do with that, oh.

Me neither, this feels flatter, it feels more bubbly, this one does well, one feels more bubbly, I don't know if the Fizz has flavor, but it does change, the Fizz is what it really feels like, it gives you that crunchy feeling , yeah, or the little bit of the Sprite burns and feels like this one goes through this straw, this one feels more bubbly, while this one doesn't, for this one it's fine, that one has less flavor to me, I agree with which doesn't have much to do with carbonation, but it feels less sweet, okay try this one again, well maybe they aren't as different as I thought, so Sprite really tastes the same, yes it's very similar, there are differences in the carbonation, but I feel like the flavor is very consistent, it feels like the flavor is consistent across the board, it's purely based on the carbonation and has less to do with the blend of flavors, the more carbonation you feel, the less sweet it is, while this has the most carbs, it is the flattest.

So far, the others have an Airy feel. We did an episode a long time ago about champagne, but about how you use champagne bottles in the glass and why you pour it into the glass because it can hold the smaller bubbles better, and that's why I'm. I wonder if the Sprite's glass bottle really plays into that, it's somehow working the same way. I was able to do that too. I'm sorry. I should have offered it to your teeth first. The bad. This is very different. There are many things. of bubbles, those are close to the bubbles in terms of the Teeny bubbles, yes, but it almost seems like this one has more flavor.

It's so bubbly because the others are so carbonated. I feel like it's distracting, so what have we learned? Here, which is the most different Sprite? To me, they all taste the same. Yes, this one. I have a bit of a tin feeling. This one tastes a little watery because of the ice. This one makes a lot of bubbles through a straw compared to the other one. but as far as the flavor difference goes it's not a ton and I'm surprised that my hypothesis, as I said at the beginning of this, was that it would be very easy to notice a flavor difference between the four to a large extent.

The same way you do with Diet Coke, I sit here and think I'm completely wrong about that, so with the first round of the test complete, I think let's move on to the big straws, so here's what that McDonald's is prepared to give. You are right, we are delicious, yes of course, yours is better than one. I have a four year old son. I do it a little more frequently. I blew talking about my four-year-old son. I blew Ollie's mind once by showing him the Giga straw there. is what the Giga straw is called just because, because it's more obvious that we have a bigger straw, so now it's time to compare the taste of the two, right?

The greater volume of things you are receiving in your mouth. through this plugin this type of sprite changes things at all it affects the amount of carbonation and bubbles you are tasting so without further ado go back to the rounds it's easier to drink it's easy it tastes the same it still tastes like it tastes the same alert spoiler drinking it with a big straw hasn't changed the fact that it's still Sprite there you go Matt can you open this oh thanks they gave you a can opener you did it yeah so wait Let's do let's do the side by side real quick so we got thin straw, so straw vs thick guy, hey interesting, we do it side by side, the bubbles don't come out as much, right, a little easier, yeah, it's interesting because the straw has texture on the inside, the soda goes through it, so it activates a lot of those bubbles here because you get more liquid and less surface area, you're going to get less bubbles overall and that's exactly what I'm testing here, yeah, this is the smallest one.

The straw is giving me things that are decidedly more bubbly and concentrated in the bubbles. This is a much more balanced flavor for this type. The truth is, eh, interesting. I'm curious to get it. I'm curious to know your opinion. I don't want to color. any judgement, tomato, really yes, stir it again. I think for some reason you almost lose the carbonation with the small straw and it comes back more with the large one. I don't think it's there as much as the other one, but it's more. balanced, sure, maybe you're consuming my drinks like a maniac, in sick mode, like I'm drinking everything and it doesn't give me much difference in taste, but it gives me like a mouthfeel, yeah, it's a weird feeling in the mouth, where having more liquid in the mouth faster is more satisfying, yes, in some ways, and when I drink this, I find it much more pleasant to go through this straw than through this one.

I think it's quite an experience, I'm not 100 sure. what it is, but with the big two I would go for the bigger straw although I couldn't necessarily tell you why I choose the bigger straw. I like it better for The Vibes vibes for The Vibes the same These straws are too small, they create too much carbonation and as a result I don't get the taste of the soda as much as I do from a bunch of bubbles and I don't like as much carbonation, which It's a significantly different carbonation between the two, yes. the flavor stays the same, yes, in all of them, I think, but the carbonation affects the flavor, it does 100% across the board in each of these large straws.

It's the best option, the taste is better with less carbonation, so maybe McDonald's is the

secret

sauce here. It's not so much about the flavor or anything like that, it really comes down to the straw, yes, but the interesting thing is that as we continue to drink this, I become overwhelmed by the taste of the elf. I appreciate watery ice cream, you know? well this is the kind that has the diluted Sprite flavor while the others are pure and not concentrated and like you said this one has a slightly different flavor as a result of it tasting smoother, it's more relaxing and that's how I feel. like I could drink more of this and this right now is my favorite of these, yeah, because not only is it cloying all the time, yeah, it feels more refreshing.

I feel like if I were to drink all of these that one is bigger so I don't know if that's fair but I would drink more of that one yeah it's softer now at this point again because of the ice but as a result I actually like it more, so maybe what the conclusion is here that regular Sprite is is too strong a soda and they just need to cool it down a little, maybe I mean there's a lot going on with the flavor and the carbonation and all this, and that gives you It takes away a little bit, which is good, which it adds.

Let's move on to the final variable, which is the fries, so now the question is: Will the McDonald's Sprite be designed specifically to complement the taste and saltiness of the McDonald's, because we've finally decided that, like the syrup, the flavor is largely the same? Same thing, I don't think that's going to be the case. I don't have much hope on this one, to be honest with you, this is better with chips than with the bottle first. I agree, maybe just the sweetness, oh I don't like chips with the bottle, this just feels good, what is it?

Sweet, let's think about the opposite. I think these two that I just tried are so sweet and full of flavour, while this one again has a little bit of that wateriness to it which balances out like It's softer and a little more watery, which balances out the salty oiliness of the potatoes. fried. If you asked me which one I would like, like on a natural impulse, which one are you drinking with these chips and, again, that's right. Not a difference in flavor, it is more refreshing and it has to be a mixture of water and carbonation and it is refreshing.

I feel like it's probably a combination of everything we've talked about today, there's an ice element that's mixed with this, which makes it a little more refreshing, there's a straw element that makes it more consumable, and then yeah, as I continue going back to the other Sprites, all the other Sprites have that again like such a strong flavor compared to this one. guy, which is different in a good way, yeah, higher level, higher level, why I don't know, yeah, yeah, it's higher level and not in a way that you can clearly articulate, but it's better, yeah, there it is you have after rigorous testing and absolutely attacking.

In our sugary stomachs, we found that the McDonald's Sprite does indeed hit differently, but not for the reasons you might expect the carbonation to start (it was actually lower in the McDonald's Sprite than the others, we didn't really feel that crunch). or burst, but you know what? It worked and we're not the only ones thinking, so this one tasted too fizzy to me. In fact, I like these better than that one. The lack of carbonation was a real surprise considering the science behind McDonald's process. The filtered water should have allowed for greater carbonation, but the ice and the rate at which the plastic cup was heated could have affected the effervescence.

We also found that the flavor was milder and a little sweeter, ultimately resulting in a more enjoyable experience overall and was the drink we agreed would be the one we kept coming back to, but in the end, the variable that made the biggest difference In all the taste tests, the biggest straw, the fact that I have to be honest, was absolutely shocking to me. The wider straw struck the perfect balance of getting enough liquid so you could taste the flavors, but also adding just the right amount of Bubbles and although Rachel and I didn't agree on what made the Sprite fountain our favorite. associated with French fries was in a different league to any of the others in terms of how refreshing it was to drink and how well it worked with all that salty grease in the end, the secret of the McDonald's Sprite was not a matter of taste. which makes sense considering there's nothing special about the syrup McDonald's uses or the container they keep it in, but rather it was a matter of how enjoyable the entire drinking experience ended up being;

It's a finely tuned process that takes everything from temperature to quantity into account. of ice, the straw you're drinking, the dishes you're enjoying along with the drink, all those things combined to make McDonald's Sprite really special and it sure didn't make me feel like a static lightning bolt or the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs. . so we obeyed our thirst and I was satisfied, it will satisfy you, nothing happens here, but hey, that's just a theory, a theory of food from the bottom up, thank you.