One-Calorie Pepsi

Diet soft drink sales have been dropping in recent years, but Pepsi thinks it has the cure: a mixture of Nutrasweet (aspartame) and Sunett, also known as Ace-K. The latter, which the FDA has just permitted for soft drinks (it’s been used in chewing gum, candies, baked goods and so on for 10 years), gives a sweetness impression in the mouth that peaks earlier than Nutrasweet’s. Since the latter’s flavor profile peaks later than sugar’s, the combination is more sugar-like than either artificial sweetener by itself.

The new diet Pepsi will come in silver cans. Its name, Pepsi One, refers to its calorie content: 1 calorie.

Chocolate Slurpberries

One of the great seasonal treats of July is the fresh raspberries covered with dark chocolate made by Karl Bissinger French Confections of St. Louis, Mo. (phone: (800) 325-8881, 8:30 a.m to 5 p.m. Central Time). They’re expensive ($32 plus $16 for overnight delivery), but sometimes nothing else will do. Decide quickly; these slurpy beauties are only available until July 31.

Light Foods

Scientists have cloned the genes that produce light-emitting enzymes in many species of shrimp. The first product that Prolume Ltd. of Pittsburgh, Penn., says it’s going to make from these “bioluminescent” enzymes is a liquid for kids to shoot from squirt guns, but the enzymes are flavorless and safe to eat, so Prolume also plans glow-in-the-dark foods, beverages and lipstick.

Epidemic or Guesswork?

An article in the May/June issue of the Columbia Journalism Review casts doubt on the usual figure of how many Americans die of food poisoning. News stories confidently give it as 9,000 a year, but when Dan Wilson of the Appleton (Wis.) Post-Crescent tracked the figure down, it turned out to be based on a theoretical estimate, not actual reported cases of food poisoning. In fact, while one author of the scientific paper gave the 9,000 estimate, his co-author, using his own theoretical model, estimated just 523 deaths.

But as we know, only the higher number has been publicized. And Wilson notes that news reports are gradually inflating the figure as high as 10,000.

Gas Rises, Charcoal Falls

According to the Weber barbecue company’s annual survey, gas is rapidly taking over from charcoal as the barbecue fuel of choice. In 1993, 61% said charcoal was better and only 29% preferred gas, but in the latest poll, charcoal and gas were 42% to 43%, with 15% of the public saying they were equally good.