Tang (drink)
Encyclopedia
Tang is a fruit-flavored breakfast drink. Originally formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell
in 1957, it was first marketed in powdered form in 1959.
Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn
's Mercury
flight, and subsequent Gemini missions.
Since then, it was closely associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program, leading to the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program. The Tang brand is currently owned by Kraft Foods
.
manned space flights. In 1962, when Mercury astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu, and was also used during some Gemini flights. A NASA engineer working on Gemini explained how and why it was used (paraphrased):
The creator of Tang, William A. Mitchell
, also invented Pop Rocks
, Cool Whip
, a form of instant-set Jell-O
, and other convenience foods.
s per 8 USoz of water. A single 8 USoz serving of Tang provides 9 gram (0.317465658946008 oz) of sugar; 40 kilocalories
(167 kJ); 100% RDA
of vitamin C
; 10% RDA
of vitamin A
, calcium
, vitamin E
, riboflavin
, niacin
, and vitamin B6
, and no caffeine
.
Kraft also makes a sugar-free version of Tang, containing aspartame
, which comes in individually-measured packets and was introduced in March 1985.
, acesulfame potassium
, and neotame
. The new formula is more concentrated and distributed in smaller containers, with a 12.3 USoz (348 g (12.3 oz)) container making 8 USqt.
The recommended usage is two and one-half teaspoons per 8 USoz of water. The lid on the new smaller plastic container acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities, the same as the original Tang.
As of December 2009, the 12.3 USoz lower calorie Tang has been discontinued and is no longer available from Kraft.
In 2009, another version of Tang emerged in 20 USoz containers making only 6 USqt. Two level tablespoons make one serving (8 USoz, 90 calories) with 0 g fat, 35 mg (0.00123458867367892 oz), 22 g (0.776027166312463 oz) total carbohydrate (sugar), and 0 g protein. Its list of ingredients include sugar, citric acid (provides tartness), contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), maltodextrin, calcium phosphate (prevents caking), guar and xanthan gums (provides body), sodium acid pyrophosphate, artificial color, yellow 5, yellow 6, BHA (to help protect flavor).
William A. Mitchell
Dr. William A. "Bill" Mitchell was an American food chemist who, while working for General Foods Corporation between 1941 and 1976, was the key inventor behind Pop Rocks, Tang, quick-set Jell-O, Cool Whip, and powdered egg whites. During his career he received over 70 patents.He was born in...
in 1957, it was first marketed in powdered form in 1959.
Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
's Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
flight, and subsequent Gemini missions.
Since then, it was closely associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program, leading to the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program. The Tang brand is currently owned by Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
.
History
Tang was famously used by some early NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
manned space flights. In 1962, when Mercury astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu, and was also used during some Gemini flights. A NASA engineer working on Gemini explained how and why it was used (paraphrased):
The creator of Tang, William A. Mitchell
William A. Mitchell
Dr. William A. "Bill" Mitchell was an American food chemist who, while working for General Foods Corporation between 1941 and 1976, was the key inventor behind Pop Rocks, Tang, quick-set Jell-O, Cool Whip, and powdered egg whites. During his career he received over 70 patents.He was born in...
, also invented Pop Rocks
Pop Rocks
Pop Rocks is a carbonated candy with ingredients including sugar, lactose , corn syrup, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that it creates a fizzy reaction when it dissolves in one's mouth.-Background and history:...
, Cool Whip
Cool Whip
Cool Whip is a brand of imitation whipped cream named a whipped topping by its manufacturer. It is used in North America as a dessert topping and in some no-bake pie recipes. It was generally described as "non-dairy" as it contained no cream or milk and no lactose; however, it did contain the milk...
, a form of instant-set Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
, and other convenience foods.
Original Tang
Tang is sold both in powdered and ready to drink form. The recommended usage of original powdered Tang is two tablespoonTablespoon
A tablespoon is a type of large spoon usually used for serving. A tablespoonful, the capacity of one tablespoon, is commonly used as a measure of volume in cooking...
s per 8 USoz of water. A single 8 USoz serving of Tang provides 9 gram (0.317465658946008 oz) of sugar; 40 kilocalories
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
(167 kJ); 100% RDA
Reference Daily Intake
The Reference Daily Intake or Recommended Daily Intake is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States .The RDI is used to determine the Daily Value of foods,...
of vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
; 10% RDA
Reference Daily Intake
The Reference Daily Intake or Recommended Daily Intake is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of healthy individuals in every demographic in the United States .The RDI is used to determine the Daily Value of foods,...
of vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
, calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
, vitamin E
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and tocotrienols. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which γ-tocopherol is the most common in the North American diet. γ-Tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings...
, riboflavin
Riboflavin
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2 or additive E101, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in humans and animals. It is the central component of the cofactors FAD and FMN, and is therefore required by all flavoproteins. As such, vitamin B2 is required for a...
, niacin
Niacin
"Niacin" redirects here. For the neo-fusion band, see Niacin .Niacin is an organic compound with the formula and, depending on the definition used, one of the forty to eighty essential human nutrients.Niacin is one of five vitamins associated with a pandemic deficiency disease: niacin deficiency...
, and vitamin B6
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is part of the vitamin B complex group. Several forms of the vitamin are known, but pyridoxal phosphate is the active form and is a cofactor in many reactions of amino acid metabolism, including transamination, deamination, and decarboxylation...
, and no caffeine
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...
.
Kraft also makes a sugar-free version of Tang, containing 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...
, which comes in individually-measured packets and was introduced in March 1985.
Other versions
In 2007, Kraft introduced a new version of Tang which replaced half of the sugar with artificial sweeteners. The new packaging advertises "1/2 the Sugar of 100% juice". The artificial sweeteners used in the new formulation are sucraloseSucralose
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body and therefore it is non-caloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. Sucralose is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose , twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3...
, acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium
Acesulfame potassium is a calorie-free artificial sweetener, also known as Acesulfame K or Ace K , and marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. In the European Union, it is known under the E number E950...
, and neotame
Neotame
Neotame is an artificial sweetener made by NutraSweet that is between 7,000 and 13,000 times sweeter than sucrose . In the European Union, it is known by the E number E961...
. The new formula is more concentrated and distributed in smaller containers, with a 12.3 USoz (348 g (12.3 oz)) container making 8 USqt.
The recommended usage is two and one-half teaspoons per 8 USoz of water. The lid on the new smaller plastic container acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities, the same as the original Tang.
As of December 2009, the 12.3 USoz lower calorie Tang has been discontinued and is no longer available from Kraft.
In 2009, another version of Tang emerged in 20 USoz containers making only 6 USqt. Two level tablespoons make one serving (8 USoz, 90 calories) with 0 g fat, 35 mg (0.00123458867367892 oz), 22 g (0.776027166312463 oz) total carbohydrate (sugar), and 0 g protein. Its list of ingredients include sugar, citric acid (provides tartness), contains less than 2% of natural and artificial flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), maltodextrin, calcium phosphate (prevents caking), guar and xanthan gums (provides body), sodium acid pyrophosphate, artificial color, yellow 5, yellow 6, BHA (to help protect flavor).