Squirt
Encyclopedia
Squirt is a caffeine
-free, citrus
-flavored, carbonated soft drink
, created in 1938 in Phoenix
, Arizona
.
The product received its name because the drink was claimed to "squirt" into one's mouth like a freshly squeezed grapefruit.
In 1941, a mascot named "Lil' Squirt" was introduced to the product line's marketing to personify the brand. The mascot proved useful in broadening public awareness of the product. Squirt became a popular soft drink in many parts of the country. In addition to being a well-liked soft drink, Squirt later established itself as a mixer in the 1950s.
Ownership of the Squirt brand has changed hands several times. It is currently property of Dr Pepper Snapple Group
.
s, the packaging of Squirt has varied over the years.
In 1983, Diet Squirt, the first soft drink in the United States to be sweetened with aspartame
, was introduced.
In the mid-1980s, a vitamin-C-enriched Diet Squirt Plus was briefly marketed.
Ruby-Red Squirt and Diet Ruby Red Squirt have also been introduced. Unlike normal Squirt, Ruby Red Squirt contains caffeine.
In 2008, a new offering called Squirt Citrus Power was introduced. Unlike regular Squirt, Squirt Citrus Power is caffeinated, lacks concentrated grapefruit juice, and contains tangerine and other ingredients similar to an energy drink.
, concentrated grapefruit
juices, citric acid
, modified food starch, sodium benzoate
(preservative), natural flavors, glycerol ester of wood rosin
, brominated vegetable oils
.
s diagnosed as bromoderma
. The excessive quantities, together with the fact that the man had a higher than normal sensitivity to bromine
, made this an unusual case.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
-free, citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
-flavored, carbonated soft drink
Soft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
, created in 1938 in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
History
Squirt was created by Herb Bishop in 1938, after experimenting with a similar citrus drink, Citrus Club. He created a new, carbonated drink which required both less fruit juice and less sugar. Bishop declared that it was the "freshest, most exciting taste in the marketplace".The product received its name because the drink was claimed to "squirt" into one's mouth like a freshly squeezed grapefruit.
In 1941, a mascot named "Lil' Squirt" was introduced to the product line's marketing to personify the brand. The mascot proved useful in broadening public awareness of the product. Squirt became a popular soft drink in many parts of the country. In addition to being a well-liked soft drink, Squirt later established itself as a mixer in the 1950s.
Ownership of the Squirt brand has changed hands several times. It is currently property of Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is an American soft drink company, based in Plano, Texas.It was spun off from Britain's Cadbury Schweppes, on May 5, 2008, with trading in its shares starting on May 7, 2008...
.
Product line
Squirt is naturally flavored but contains less than 1% grapefruit juice. Like many other soft drinkSoft drink
A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
s, the packaging of Squirt has varied over the years.
In 1983, Diet Squirt, the first soft drink in the United States to be sweetened with aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
, was introduced.
In the mid-1980s, a vitamin-C-enriched Diet Squirt Plus was briefly marketed.
Ruby-Red Squirt and Diet Ruby Red Squirt have also been introduced. Unlike normal Squirt, Ruby Red Squirt contains caffeine.
In 2008, a new offering called Squirt Citrus Power was introduced. Unlike regular Squirt, Squirt Citrus Power is caffeinated, lacks concentrated grapefruit juice, and contains tangerine and other ingredients similar to an energy drink.
Ingredients
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrupHigh fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup — also called glucose-fructose syrup in the UK, glucose/fructose in Canada, and high-fructose maize syrup in other countries — comprises any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce...
, concentrated grapefruit
Grapefruit
The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
juices, citric acid
Citric acid
Citric acid is a weak organic acid. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic, or sour, taste to foods and soft drinks...
, modified food starch, sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2; it is a widely used food preservative, with E number E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a...
(preservative), natural flavors, glycerol ester of wood rosin
Glycerol ester of wood rosin
Glycerol ester of wood rosin, glyceryl abietate, or Ester gum is a food additive used as an emulsifier and stabiliser, to keep oils in suspension in water....
, brominated vegetable oils
Brominated vegetable oil
Brominated vegetable oil is vegetable oil that has had atoms of the element bromine bonded to it. Brominated vegetable oil is used as an emulsifier in citrus-flavored soft drinks to help natural fat-soluble citrus flavors stay suspended in the drink and to produce a cloudy appearance...
.
Health risks
A man who drank 8 l (2.1 US gal; 1.8 imp gal) of Ruby Red Squirt daily had a reaction that caused his skin color to turn red and produced lesionLesion
A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism , usually caused by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.- Types :...
s diagnosed as bromoderma
Bromoderma
Bromoderma, also known as bromoderma tuberosum, is a dermatological condition characterized by an eruption of papules and pustules on the skin. It is caused by hypersensitivity to bromides, such as those found in certain drugs. There is at least one reported case of bromoderma caused by excessive...
. The excessive quantities, together with the fact that the man had a higher than normal sensitivity to bromine
Bromine
Bromine ") is a chemical element with the symbol Br, an atomic number of 35, and an atomic mass of 79.904. It is in the halogen element group. The element was isolated independently by two chemists, Carl Jacob Löwig and Antoine Jerome Balard, in 1825–1826...
, made this an unusual case.