Barq's Root Beer contains caffeine
(in some states--not Utah) and the company says that it has "12.78mg per
6 oz" and that they "add it as a flavouring agent for the
sharp bitterness".
From http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~cpage/caffeine/FAQ1.html#1
Section 1. The Chemistry of Caffeine and related products
1.1.- How much caffeine is there in [drink/food/pill]?
According to the National Soft
Drink Association, the following is the
caffeine content in mgs per 12
oz can of soda:
Jolt
100.0
Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb
58.8
Mountain Dew
54.0 (0.0 in Canada)
Mello Yellow
52.8
Tab
46.8
Coca-Cola
45.6
Diet Cola
45.6
Shasta Cola
44.4
Shasta Cherry Cola
44.4
Shasta Diet Cola
44.4
Mr. Pibb
40.8
Dr. Pepper
39.6
Pepsi Cola
38.4
Aspen
36.0
Diet Pepsi
36.0
RC Cola
36.0
Diet RC
36.0
Diet Rite
36.0
Canada Dry Cola
30.0
Canada Dry Diet Cola
1.2
7 Up
0
By means of comparison, a 7 oz
cup of coffee has the following caffeine
(mg) amounts, according to Bunker
and McWilliams in _J Am Diet_
74:28-32, 1979:
Drip
115-175
Espresso
100 mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed
80-135
Instant
65-100
Decaf, brewed
3-4
Decaf, instant
2-3
tea, iced (12 ozs.)
70
tea, brewed, imported
60
tea, brewed, U.S.
40
tea, instant
30
The variability in the amount
of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea is
huge even if prepared by the
same person using the same equipment and
ingredients day after day.
Reference: Variability in caffeine
consumption from coffee and tea:
Possible significance for epidemiological
studies by B. Stavric, R.
Klassen, B. Watkinson, K. Karpinski,
R. Stapley, and P. Fried in
Foundations of Chemical Toxicology,
Volume 26, number 2, pp. 111-118,
1988 and an easy to read overview,
Looking for the Perfect Brew by S.
Eisenberg, Science News, Volume
133, April 16, 1988, pp. 252-253.
Quote from the lab manual:
"Caffeine is present in tea leaves and in coffee to the extent of
about 4%. Tea also
contains two other alkaloids, theobromine and
theophylline. These
last two relax the smooth muscles where caffeine
stimulates the heart and respiratory
systems. "
Steve Dyer says:
"Theobromine is virtually inactive. Both caffeine and
theophylline stimulate the heart
and respiratory systems and relax
smooth muscle (such as in the
bronchioles). Theophylline is somewhat
more toxic and somewhat less
powerful a CNS stimulant than caffeine,
but they are more similar than
different.
Other data on caffeine:
Cup of coffee
90-150mg
Instant coffee
60-80mg
Tea
30-70mg
Cola
30-45mg
Chocolate bar
30mg
Stay-awake pill
100mg
Vivarin
200mg
Cold relief tablet
30mg
The following information is from
Bowes and Church's Food values of
portions commonly used, by Anna
De Planter Bowes. Lippincott, Phila.
1989. Pages 261-2:
Caffeine:
mg caffeine
Candy:
Chocolate
baking choc, unsweetened, Bakers--1 oz (28 g)
25
german sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g)
8
semi-sweet, Bakers -- 1 oz (28 g)
13
Choc chips
Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g)
13
german sweet, Bakers -- 1/4 cup (43 g)
15
Chocolate bar, Cadbury
-- 1 oz (28 g)
15
Chocolate milk 8oz
8
Desserts:
Jello Pudding
Pops, Choc (47 g)
2
Choc mousse
from Jell-O mix (95 g)
6
Jello choc
fudge mousse (86 g)
12
Beverages:
3 heaping
teaspoons of choc powder mix
8
2 tablespoons
choc syrup
5
1 envelope
hot cocoa mix
5
Dietary formulas
ensure,
plus, choc, Ross Labs -- 8 oz (259 g)
10
Cadbury
Milk Chocolate Bar
More stuff:
Guarana
"Magic Power" (quite common in Germany),
15 ml alcohol with
5g Guarana Seeds 250.0 mg
Guarana
capsules with
500 mg G. seeds 25.0
mg / capsule
(assuming 5% caffeine in seeds
as stated in literature)
Guarana soda pop is ubiquitous
in Brazil and often available at tropical
groceries here. It's really
tasty and packs a wallop. Guarana wakes you
up like crazy, but it doesn't
cause coffee jitters.
It is possible that in addition
to caffeine, there is some other
substance in guarana that also
produces an effect, since it 'feels'
different than coffee.
Same goes for mate.
1.2.- Chemically speaking, what
is caffeine?
A search in CAS and produced these names and synonyms:
RN 58-08-2 REGISTRY
CN 1H-Purine-2,6-dione, 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl- (9CI)
(CA INDEX NAME)
OTHER CA INDEX NAMES:
CN Caffeine (8CI)
OTHER NAMES:
CN 1,3,7-Trimethyl-2,6-dioxopurine
CN 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CN 7-Methyltheophylline
CN Alert-Pep
CN Cafeina
CN Caffein
CN Cafipel
CN Guaranine
CN Koffein
CN Mateina
CN Methyltheobromine
CN No-Doz
CN Refresh'n
CN Stim
CN Thein
CN Theine
CN Tri-Aqua
MF C8 H10 N4 O2
The CORRECT name is the first
one, 1H-Purine-2,6-diione,
3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-
(This is the "inverted name") The
"uninverted name" is 3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione
Merck Index excerpt...
Caffeine: 3,7-dihydro- 1,3,7-trimethyl-
1H-purine- 2,6-dione;
1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; 1,3,7-trimethyl-
2,6-dioxopurine; coffeine;
thein; guaranine; methyltheobromine;
No-Doz.
C8H10N4O2; mol wt 194.19. C 49.48%,
H 5.19%, N 28.85%, O 16.48%.
Occurs in tea, coffee, mate leaves;
also in guarana paste and cola nuts:
Shuman, U.S. pat. 2,508,545 (1950
to General Foods). Obtained as a
by-product from the manuf of
caffeine-free coffee: Barch, U.S. pat.
2,817,588 (1957 to Standard Brands);
Nutting, U.S. pat. 2,802,739 (1957
to Hill Bros. Coffee); Adler,
Earle, U.S. pat. 2,933,395 (1960 to
General Foods).
Crystal structure: Sutor, Acta
Cryst. 11, 453, (1958). Synthesis:
Fischer, Ach, Ber. 28, 2473,
3135 (1895); Gepner, Kreps, J. Gen. Chem.
USSR 16, 179 (1946); Bredereck
et al., Ber. 83, 201 (1950); Crippa,
Crippa, Farmaco Ed. Sci. 10,
616 (1955); Swidinsky, Baizer, U.S. pats.
2,785,162 and 2,785,163 (1957
to Quinine Chem. Works); Bredereck,
Gotsmann, Ber. 95, 1902 (1962).
Hexagonal prisms by sublimation,
mp 238 C. Sublimes 178 C. Fast
sublimation is obtained at 160-165
C under 1mm press. at 5 mm distance.
d 1.23. Kb at 19 C: 0.7 x 10^(-14).
Ka at 25 C: <1.0 x 10^(-14). pH of
1% soln 6.9. Aq solns of caffeine
salts dissociate quickly. Absorption
spectrum: Hartley, J. Chem. Soc.
87, 1802 (1905). One gram dissolves in
46 ml water, 5.5 ml water at
80 C, 1.5 ml boiling water, 66 ml alcohol,
22 ml alcohol at 60 C, 50 ml
acetone, 5.5 ml chloroform, 530 ml ether,
100 ml benzene, 22 ml boiling
benzene. Freely sol in pyrrole; in
tetrahydrofuran contg about 4%
water; also sol in ethyl acetate;
slightly in petr ether. Soly
in water is increased by alkali benzoates,
cinnamates, citrates, or salicylates.
Monohydrate, felted needles,
contg 8.5% H2O. Efflorescent in air;
complete dehydration takes place
at 80 C. LD50 orally in rats: 200
mg/kg.
Acetate, C8H10N4O2.(CH3COOH)2,
granules or powder; acetic acid odor;
acid reaction. Loses acetic acid
on exposure to air. Soluble in water or
alcohol with hydrolysis into
caffeine and acetic acid. Keep well
stoppered.
Hydrochloride dihydrate, C8H10N4O2.HCl.2H2O,
crystals, dec 80-100 C with
loss of water and HCl. Sol in
water and in alcohol with dec.
Therap Cat: Central stimulant.
Therap Cat (Vet): Has been used
as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant
and as a diuretic.
1.3.- Is it true that tea has
no caffeine/What is theine, theobromine,
etc?
From "Principles
of biochemistry", Horton and al, 1993.
Caffeine is sometimes called
"theine" when it's in tea. This is probably
due to an ancient misconception
that the active constituent is
different. Theophylline is present
only in trace amounts. It is more
diuretic, more toxic and less
speedy.
Caffeine: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Theophylline: 1,3-dimethylxanthine
Theobromine: 3,7-dimethylxanthine
Coffee and tea contain caffeine
and theophylline, respectively, which
are me thylated purine derivatives
that inhibit cAMP
phosphodiesterase.In the presence
of these inhibitors, the effects of
cAMP, and thus the stimulatory
effects of the hormones that lead to its
production, are prolonged and
intensified.
Theobromine and theophylline
are two dimethyxanthines that have two
rather than three methyl groups.
Theobromine is considerably weaker than
caffeine and theophylline, having
about one tenth the stimulating effect
of either.
Theobromine is found in cocoa
products, tea (only in very small amounts)
and kola nuts, but is not found
in coffee. In cocoa, its concentration
is generally about 7 times as
great as caffeine. Although, caffeine is
relatively scarce in cocoa, its
mainly because of theobromine that cocoa
is "stimulating".
Theophylline is found in very
small amounts in tea, but has a stronger
effect on the heart and breathing
than caffeine. It often the drug of
choice in treating asthma bronchitis
and emphysema. The theophylline
found in medicine is made from
extracts from coffee or tea.
1.4.- Where can I find a gif of
the caffeine molecule?
Caffein = 1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
CH3
|
N
/ \
N----C C==O
|| || |
|| || |
CH C N--CH3
\ / \ /
N C
| ||
CH3 O
There is a gif picture at the
wuarchive.wustl.edu ftp site or any of its
mirror sites under
multimedia/images/gif/c
caffeine
1.5.- Is it true that espresso
has less caffeine than regular coffee?
Yes and no. An espresso cup has about as much caffeine as a cup
of dark brew. But servings for espresso are much smaller.
Which means that the content of caffeine per millilitre are much
higher than with a regular brew. Moreover, caffeine is more
quickly assimilated when taken in concentrated dosages, such as
an espresso cup.
The myth of lower caffeine espresso comes comes from the fact
that darker roast beans used for espresso do have less caffeine
than regularly roasted beans (roasting breaks up the caffeine in
the beans).
But espresso is prepared using pressurized steam which extracts
a higher percentage of caffeine from the ground beans than
regular drip.
Here's the caffeine content of Drip/Espresso/Brewed Coffee:
Drip
115-175
Espresso
100mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed
80-135
1.6.- How does caffeine taste?
Caffeine is very bitter. Barq's Root Beer contains caffeine and the
company says that it has "12.78mg per 6oz" and that they "add it
as a flavouring agent for the sharp bitterness".
1.7.- How much theobromine/theophylline there is in ...?
Sources: Physicians Desk Reference
and Institute of Food Technologies
from Pafai and Jankiewicz (1991)
DRUGS AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
cocoa
250mg theobromine
bittersweet
choc. bar 130mg theobromine
5 oz cup brewed
coffee no theobromine
tea 5oz cup
brewed 3min with
teabag
3-4 mg theophylline
Diet Coke
no theobromine or theophylline
----------------------
From Gary Cole snazaroo@mindspring.com
"I used to drink Coke which we
of course know contains caffeine. My wife
forever gave me a hard time.
I held the stand that the leaders never have
said it was unacceptable. In
President Hinckley's interview with Mike
Wallace (I tried to get the text
but could not find it) Mike stated in
regards to the word of wisdom
that Mormons do not partake in alcohol,
coffee, tea and President Hinckley
said yes. Mike Wallace came back and
said and soft drinks that contain
caffeine and President Hinckley said yes
and that too.
The bottom line is we should abstain
from any addicting activity that will
harm our temporal body, spiritual
body or take time from us that should be
used in more beneficial activities.
We can also become adicted to time
wasters which is another topic.
Specifically in relation to caffeine
read these words from our leaders.
After reading these and by pondering
and praying no one in clear conscious
will drink caffeinated soft drinks
as they are addicting in nature. Don't
kid yourself. And finally before
I get to the quotes, we are not to be
commanded in all things, if so
we are slothful servants.
*************************************************************************************************
----- the CSPI (Center for Science
in the Public Interest) recently
published these figures.
FOODS and THEIR CAFFEINE CONTENT
(all of the caffeine amounts
are in MILIGRAMS and for 1 C. unless
otherwise specified)
Average cup of brewed coffee 135
GFI Coffee, Orange Cappuccino
102
GFI Coffee, Cafe Vienna 90
Ben & Jerry's No fat Coffee
Fudge Frozen Yogurt 85
Java Water 59
Haagen-Dazs Coffee Ice Cream
58
Average cup of tea, 50
Celestial Seasonings Iced Lemon
Ginseng Tea 50
Dannon Coffee Yogurt 45
Josta Drink 39
Mt. Dew 37
Surge 34
Diet Coke 31
Hershey Special Dark Chocolate
bar (1.5 oz.) 31
Coka-Cola 30
Dr. Pepper 27
Sunkist Orange Soda 27
Snapple Iced Tea, all varieties
24
Pepsi-Cola 25
Barqs Root Beer 15
Hershey Milk Chocolate bar (1.5
oz.) 10
Hot chocolate 5
Barqs Diet Root Beer 0
Sprite or Diet Sprite 0
7-up or Diet 7-up 0
*************************************************************************************************