we have developed good tasting foodstuffs particularly diet soft drinks which do not rely on drugs to result in decreased food consumption and do not replace calories with inert materials . we have surprisingly found that a conventionally tasting soft drink can be made by increasing the acid content of a beverage to raise the total titratable acidity ( ta ) of the beverage to at least about 125 ta and preferably about 150 ta . this is accomplished by a blend of common acids and preferably with the use of glucono - delta - lactone . ## equ1 ## where 11 . 9826 is the conversion factor from lbs / gallon to gram / ml . ## equ2 ## other components such as carbonation , sweetener , caramel , color and flavor may contribute to the total acidity in a minimal way . we have found that the use of glucono - delta - lactone helps us balance flavor and produces a better tasting beverage . we particularly prefer to employ the glucono - delta - lactone with an organic acid and phosphoric acid and often in roughly equal ta portions of one to two parts of each of organic and phosphoric acid ta contribution to each one part glucono - delta - lactone ta contribution . the glucono - delta - lactone has a low sourness and produces a beverage less tart and sour at low ph than a beverage using other inorganic acidulents . we have also found it necessary to buffer our very acid food stuff with metal salts of the same acids employed for acidulation . we have found common citrates and phosphates to be highly effective in maintaining the beverage ph above 2 . 5 , preferably 2 . 5 - 4 . 0 and most preferably ph 2 . 5 - 3 . 5 . we employ organic and inorganic acids such as citric , phosphoric , glucono - delta - lactone , gluconic , malic , tartaric , fumaric , adipic and mixtures thereof . we prefer to employ a major amount of citric , phosphoric and the glucono - delta - lactone usually 60 %, preferably 75 % or more of the acid content of the food stuff . our food stuff usually contains on a dry weight basis from 5 - 40 % citric acid , preferably 10 - 25 % and from 20 - 60 % glucono - delta - lactone , preferably at least 30 % and more preferably 35 - 55 % of the foodstuff . the total acidic materials are employed at about 50 - 90 %, preferably 60 - 80 % and most preferably 65 - 80 % of the foodstuff . we employ buffers to maintain a ph of 2 . 5 - 6 . 0 , preferably ph 2 . 5 - 4 . 0 and most preferably ph 2 . 5 - 3 . 5 . we have found that the metal salts of the common acids such as sodium or potassium citrate , disodium or dipotassium phosphate and the like work very well to elevate the low ph caused by the high titratable acidity . we employ buffers from 10 - 40 %, more preferably in excess of 15 % and most preferably from 15 - 35 % of the food stuff . an intensive sweetener which is food approved is employed such as one selected from the group of &# 34 ; aspartame &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; sucralose &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; acetosulfam &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; saccharine &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; cyclamate &# 34 ; or others of equivalent sweetness and mixtures thereof . the type of sweetener is not critical to our invention so long as it is stable in the food for the period of its use . however , we prefer to prepare reduced calorie foods and to use an intensive sweetener exclusively . the intensive sweetener is normally used up to 5 %, preferably 0 . 1 - 4 % of the food stuff depending upon its intensity . in preparing syrups for beverages , we employ from 1 - 3 % citric acid or combinations of organic acids , 1 . 5 - 2 . 5 % phosphoric acid , 2 . 0 - 10 % glucono - delta - lactone , from 1 . 0 - 4 . 5 % acid buffering salts such as alkali metal citrates , mono and di alkali metal phosphates and sweeteners such as aspartame to taste . the good tasting , satiety producing beverage of this invention can be prepared from still water but is preferably carbonated . the beverage contains at least 0 . 15 % and preferably 0 . 2 % organic acid , preferably citric acid , at least 0 . 15 % and preferably 0 . 7 - 1 . 5 % and most preferably 0 . 85 - 1 . 25 % glucono - delta - lactone , at least 0 . 25 % acid buffering salt , preferably an alkali metal salt of the acids employed in this invention and most preferably at least 0 . 4 % buffering salt . the beverage is usually prepared by dissolving the ingredients in water to form a syrup which is blended volumes of carbon dioxide in the final beverage . if desired , however , dry mixes can be prepared for dissolution in water by the consumer or in preparing bottled still beverages . flavors , fruit juice , caffeine and other conventional ingredients may be used to formulate the final beverage . in preparing our beverage the total acid content of the beverage should be 0 . 7 % or greater , preferably 0 . 75 % to 1 . 5 % of the beverage which is five to twenty times greater than in the equivalent non - satiety beverage . the buffer concentration is also high exceeding 0 . 4 %, preferably 0 . 45 % of the beverage to elevate and maintain the ph at 2 . 5 to 3 . 5 . ______________________________________examplepink grapefruit juicesyrup formula lbs t . a . ______________________________________citric acid 24 . 0 49 . 9phosphoric acid ( 80 ) 22 . 5 49 . 9glucono - delta - lactone 66 . 9 50 . 0potassium citrate 26 . 0 -- dipotassium phosphate 15 . 5 -- aspartame 3 . 75 tracetotal 158 . 65 * 150 . 0water to 150 . 00 gal______________________________________ * throw = 1 part syrup plus 5 parts water 150 gal = 900 gallons of finished beverage dissolve the previous listed ingredients in water sufficient to prepare 150 gallons of syrup . dilute the syrup 5 to 1 with carbonated water and bottle to prepare 900 gallons of a final carbonated drink having the following characteristics : ______________________________________ most preferably preferablycharacteristic greater than at least about______________________________________ta 110 125 150ph 2 . 0 - 6 . 0 2 . 5 - 4 . 0 2 . 5 - 3 . 5sweetener to taste 457 - 525 ppmco . sub . 2 0 - 6 . 0 vol 1 . 0 - 5 . 0 vol . 2 . 5 - 3 . 5 vol______________________________________ when 16 oz of the above prepared beverage is ingested by a small test panel of humans 20 minutes prior to a macaroni and beef meal , the amount of food eaten is reduced by 10 - 30 % and yet the beverage tastes like a conventional diet soft drink . the 10 - 30 % reduction in food intake has been replicated three times , two of which were statistically significant . while this invention is applicable to mono and disaccharide sweetened beverages including coffee and tea , it is most applicable to diet beverages sweetened with intensive sweeteners especially citrus flavored beverages . the invention is most applicable to normally high acid citrus beverages such as grapefruit drinks and lemonade .
a food product with high titratable acidity which is effective to suppress hunger is disclosed . the product is buffered to maintain the product at a ph of 2 . 5 - 6 . 0 .