Mountain Dew

[MichaelB]

An unusual news item.

An attempt to win a small court battle this week has put Mountain Dew in peril of losing a much larger war. PepsiCo, the soft drink's parent company, defended itself against a man who claimed he found a dead mouse in a can of the citrus soda. Experts called in by PepsiCo's lawyers offered a stomach-churning explanation for why it couldn't be true: the Mountain Dew would have dissolved the mouse, turning it into a "jelly-like substance," had it been in the can of fluid from the time of its bottling until the day the plaintiff opened it, 15 months later.

Can Mountain Dew Really Dissolve a Mouse Carcass?: Scientific American

 

[HFWR]

Depends on the formulation...

 

[Bikerdude]

You can follow an experiment to solve the question once and for all.

Does a mouse liquify in Mt Dew

 

[tightasadrum]

I saw a program on tv last year or before, may have been 60 Minutes, about an Appalachian town where Mountain Dew was drunk like water. Health effects were bad, particularly dental health. Rotten teeth were epidemic. Even knowing this the people could not, or would not, stop drinking the stuff. It has a very high level of caffeine apparently, so it gave a boost that they needed.
As to the rodent, maybe it was hooked on it too.

 

[samclem]

According to this site (unverified info), Mountain Dew has 55 mg of caffeine per 12 oz, while Pepsi and Coke have about 34-37 mg. An 8 oz cup of drip coffee has 15-175 mg.

I'm sure the sugar in soft drinks is very hard on the teeth of "hooked" customers, but the acidity is also a big factor. From an MSNBC article:

According to Ren, Mountain Dew contains citric acid, a substance naturally found in citrus fruits that exists as a powder in its purified, industrialized form. Most citrus sodas mix in the stuff to give drinks their tangy bite, while most colas, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi, incorporate phosphoric acid for the same effect. Consequently, these drinks have a low pH value around 3 (very acidic). Coca Cola, with its dark coloring and non-fruity flavor, may be the soft drink most often compared to battery acid, but in 2004, a well-known study led by dentist J. Anthony von Fraunhofer found that citrus sodas like Mountain Dew and Sprite erode tooth enamel around six times faster than colas. [ How Long Do Mafia Victims Take to Dissolve In Acid?]

 

[donheff]

I would expect the experiment will demonstrate that Mountain Dew dissolves the mouse into goo over time. Mild carbonic acid should do the trick. That alone would not turn me off to Mountain Dew.

 

[haha]

I would expect the experiment will demonstrate that Mountain Dew dissolves the mouse into goo over time. Mild carbonic acid should do the trick. That alone would not turn me off to Mountain Dew.

Of course not. A few dissolved mice should make it more nutritious.

Ha

 

[omni550]

Of course not. A few dissolved mice should make it more nutritious.

Ha

Sort of like a protein drink?

omni

 

[easysurfer]

As for the plantiff, I smell a rat

 

[FinanceDude]

I swear. my BIL LIVES on Mountain Dew. Once, I bought him a botle of Diet Dew, and he simply stated: "What kind of cruel joke was that"?

 

[Mulligan]

According to this site (unverified info), Mountain Dew has 55 mg of caffeine per 12 oz, while Pepsi and Coke have about 34-37 mg. An 8 oz cup of drip coffee has 15-175 mg.

I'm sure the sugar in soft drinks is very hard on the teeth of "hooked" customers, but the acidity is also a big factor. From an MSNBC article:

I didnt realize a soft drink could have potentially more caffeine in it than my morning Joe. I need to check that out to make sure, I am getting my money's worth. Never liked mountain dew, as it is to sweet for me. But I drink a pepsi or dr. pepper 10 everyday. Not too worried about digesting the acid in soft drinks, as I am sure the acidic juices in my stomach could dissolve a mouse, too!

 

[mickeyd]

the Mountain Dew would have dissolved the mouse, turning it into a "jelly-like substance,"

MMM...jellied rodent

 

[FinanceGeek]

I can imagine the MythBusters doing this one!

 

[Chuckanut]

I once heard that Mountain Dew was was great for cleaning battery posts in a car. Or was that Coca-Cola?

 

[W2R]

People marvel at this sort of thing, and then bring home vast quantities of sodas from the grocery store and drink with abandon.

I'm as bad as the rest, even though I don't buy Mountain Dew, Coke, or any similar beverage at the grocery store. I order a Diet Coke at lunch frequently. I need to stop doing that!

 

[audreyh1]

I once visited Apple technical support folks in Cupertino CA (yes, I have driven around Infinity Loop). Up in the cubicle room where a bunch of tech support people worked, the ceiling was strung with chains of hundreds of Mountain Dew cans. Apparently this was a local Apple tradition. I think they were mainly into the caffeine.

No "pop" soda drinking here. But I do enjoy sparkling water now and then.

 

[bhoferp]

When I was young we had a wringer washer that was broken. The repairman poured Coke in the tub. It dissolved all the gunk and the washer worked fine from then on. Never forgot that, but still drink some kind of cola about every day.

 

[TromboneAl]

I'm not defending Mountain Dew, but if you put a dead rodent in a glass of water and left it for 15 months, it probably wouldn't look too pretty.

 

[mickeyd]

I'm not defending Mountain Dew, but if you put a dead rodent in a glass of water and left it for 15 months, it probably wouldn't look too pretty.

But, would it be jellied?