Ingredients comparison: With this Mix, Coca-Cola-Energy-Red Bull attacks
More than 30 years after Red Bull has brought its well-known Energy Drink on the market, now wants to get Coca-Cola in the Energy business. The US company announced that it plans to sell starting in may 2019, the beverage “Coca-Cola Energy” in Germany. FOCUS Online makes the Energy-Drink-comparison.
In Spain and Hungary, there is “buy Coca-Cola Energy” already. In Germany, the new drink will be available in may in the shelves and in 250 ml cans. Just like the Energy Drink Red Bull. The caffeine content of the two drinks is the same: 80 milligrams per can. So what distinguishes the new Coca-Cola product of the well-known Red-Bull-classic?
FOCUS Online has taken the contents of both drinks under the microscope and compared:
1. Taste
During the “Red Bull Energy Drink” for some consumers ‘ tastes bear to “sweet rubber”, “Coca-Cola Energy” from the taste of the classic Cola is very close to, the manufacturer promises. The classics, the company does not count by the way, despite its caffeine content to the group of Energy Drinks. In a 250 ml bottle of coke only” 24 milligrams of caffeine stuck”. In the new version there are more than three times as much.
2. Caffeine
The new “Coca-Cola Energy”-box will contain 80 milligrams of caffeine per 250 milliliters – exactly as much as the “Red Bull Energy Drink”.
3. Sugar
With 10.3 grams of sugar stuck in 100 milliliters of “Coca-Cola Energy”. Per can the are approximately 25.75 grams. This is roughly the same amount as in a “Red Bull Energy Drink”: a consumer pages are talking here of 10.7 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres, so 26,75 grams per can.
4. sugar-free version with sweeteners
Both drinks are also available as sugar-free variant. In the “Red Bull Sugarfree” instead of sugar, the sweeteners aspartame and Acesulfame K. the Latter is a sweetening power which is approximately 200 Times stronger than sugar, it has stuck.
Manufacturer Red Bull, stresses that both substances are harmless to health: “safety in the use as sweeteners has been demonstrated by numerous scientific studies and authorities all over the world confirmed.” Among other things, the company relies on the assessment of the U.S. Ministry of health.
Nevertheless, there is evidence that the two sweeteners in the body may be damage. US-researchers at the Medical College in Wisconsin try investigated aspartame and Acesulfame in the Cell and in the rat. They found that after consumption of these sweeteners on the metabolism of the animals and the lining of your blood vessels to unfavorable changes.
The results of the in April 2018 published study, however, are not automatically transferable to humans. Therefore, there is currently neither in the USA nor in Germany an official warning against aspartame, or Acesulfame.
Coca-Cola used for its sugar-free-Energy variant also Acesulfame K. As the second sweetener Sucralose instead of aspartame. The substance tastes about 600 Times sweeter than household sugar.
Also Sucralose is officially approved, but scientists are disputing. Scientists at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba examined 37 studies with more than 400,000 participants. In the analysis of the data showed that artificial sweeteners, including Stevia, aspartame and Sucralose, have increased the risk for Obesity, Diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
5. Calories
A 250-ml can of “Red Bull Energy Drink” contains about 113 calories, a can of “Coca-Cola Energy” comes to 105 calories. The sugar-free version of both beverages contains much less: With only 4 kilocalories per 100 milliliters of sugar-free Coca-Cola-Energy-Drink may be called according to the “Health Claims regulation”even “calorie-free”.
In “Red Bull Sugarfree” are still about eight calorie – less, but “Red Bull Zero Calories”.
6. Taurine
Unlike Red Bull, Coca-Cola eliminated, the ingredient taurine. This substance boosts the performance, as some manufacturers like to claim is not scientifically proved. The amino acid most likely to be harmless, experts of the Federal Institute for risk assessment to warn against an undesirable effect of taurine in combination with caffeine and alcohol. Dangerous it could be so, when consumers combine the three substances, for example, in a long drink like “vodka Bull”, and then a lot of drinking.
Concerns the experts, especially in the case of so-called Energy Shots, which contain little fluid, and relatively a lot of caffeine and taurine. Consumers could be tempted to take many of these little Shots in the shortest amount of time. The unwanted effects of caffeine on the cardiovascular System and the Central nervous system could increase taurine then.
For safe, the European authority for food safety, a daily amount of up to 1400 milligrams of taurine. A can of “Red Bull Energy Drink” contains 1000 milligrams of taurine.
7. B-Vitamins
Both manufacturers advertise that valuable B-vitamins in your drinks. At Red Bull the vitamins B3, B5, B6, and B12. These are good for the body, but nobody needs additional amounts of it on Energy Drinks.
A lack of B3, B5 and B6 in Germany is extremely rare, since the vitamins are put in many foods. Conceivable just a lack of Vitamin B12 in people who eat a vegan in this country. Because the Vitamin is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.
In “Coca-Cola Energy” there are only B3 and B6.
8. Guarana
“Coca-Cola Energy” contains in contrast to Red-Bull-drink – Guarana additional caffeine suppliers. In the Guarana seed, guaranine, which the body converts to caffeine. In addition, Guarana contains substances theobromine and theophylline which have a stimulating effect on the body extracts. Thanks to these two substances, Guarana is said to stimulate the brain for longer and keep awake than coffee.
The Federal Institute for risk assessment says: “The amount of caffeine in various guarana products concerns to investigations in the United Kingdom not give rise to any security, provided that for consumers who want to caffeine avoid, these products are properly labelled.”
Conclusion
The new Energy Drink from Coca-Cola comes close to the classics of Red Bull in the most important points. Consumers will decide, probably, especially in terms of taste because of sugar and calorie content are almost identical.
The caffeine content is the same, with Coca-Cola to help in its Energy Drink, in addition with Guarana extract and sustained stimulating effect.
