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Newsletter - Winter 2012 - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

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Westmont New Faculty Continued…Kristi Lazar, a 2000Westmont Collegealum, has returned as anassistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><strong>Chemistry</strong>. Lazar earned amaster’s degree atPrinceton University <strong>and</strong> adoctorate from theUniversity <strong>of</strong> Chicago,where she conductedbiochemistry researchunder the direction <strong>of</strong> Stephen C. Meredith <strong>and</strong>wrote her dissertation on “Non-amyloid proteinaggregates.” Lazar returned to Westmont as avisiting pr<strong>of</strong>essor in January <strong>of</strong> 2010 <strong>and</strong> beganher tenure-track position last fall. Her area <strong>of</strong>expertise is in protein aggregation, includingdeposits <strong>of</strong> misfolded proteins thought to beresponsible for amyloid diseases. Lazar undertooktwo years <strong>of</strong> postdoctoral research at Genentech,Inc., a biotech company, before applying toWestmont. Her research at Genentech exploredthe long-term stability <strong>of</strong> monoclonal antibodydrug products at sub-zero temperatures.***Coke Zero’s Secret FormulaExcerpt from C&EN Newscripts post byLauren WolfI’ve always thought the reason that I disliked thetaste <strong>of</strong> Diet Coke was that it contains aspartame.However, after reading the label more closely <strong>and</strong>chatting with some people at [Atlanta’s World <strong>of</strong>Coca-Cola] museum, I noted that Coke Zero,which I think tastes great (<strong>and</strong> more like CokeClassic), contains aspartame as well. So whatgives?Coke Zero contains aspartame <strong>and</strong> acesulfamepotassium, another high-potency sweetener. “Theblend <strong>of</strong> aspartame <strong>and</strong> acesulfame-K is veryunique,” says Ihab E. Bishay, director <strong>of</strong> businessdevelopment <strong>and</strong> application innovation atAjinomoto Food Ingredients. “There is significantadditive synergy between the two sweeteners.Acesulfame-K has a very quick sweetness onset,which is followed by a bitter/metallic aftertaste,<strong>and</strong> aspartame has a slower onset, with a slightlylonger-lasting sweetness. Together, the blendprovides the product formulator with a tastepr<strong>of</strong>ile that is closer to the taste <strong>of</strong> sugar thaneither sweetener by itself.” So this might explainmy preference for Coke Zero.Neither expert, however, thinks that’s the wholestory. “When formulating a beverage like a cola,formulators can modify the flavor system,acidulates, sweeteners, <strong>and</strong> myriad other variablesto arrive at the desired flavor <strong>and</strong> taste pr<strong>of</strong>ile,”Bishay says. Shelke agrees, adding thatformulators probably alter other ingredients in thebeverages to give them a pH that maximizessweetness for their particular sweetener system.While I was at the World <strong>of</strong> Coca-Cola, I chattedwith an employee who told me that Diet Cokeuses a different syrup base (the preservatives <strong>and</strong>natural flavors advertised on the label) than CokeClassic. Coke Zero, the employee said, uses asyrup that is closer to Coke Classic’s. That couldalso be a contributing factor in my dislike <strong>of</strong> DietCoke. But because the company isn’t about toreveal its secret formula for either beverage, I’mnot sure that I’ll ever know precisely.Plenty <strong>of</strong> sci-curious folks have tried to ascertainCoke’s exact ingredients <strong>and</strong> their proportions. Ileave you with one person’s interesting take on it.Well, I checked in with some experts to try to findout. “There are people for whom most highpotencysweeteners, such as aspartame <strong>and</strong>saccharin, taste slightly bitter or metallic,” saysKantha Shelke, founder <strong>of</strong> consumer packagedgoods consultancy Corvus Blue. I’m guessing thatI’m one <strong>of</strong> them.

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