The Key Difference Between Dr Pepper Zero Sugar And Diet Dr Pepper

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Diet Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper Zero Sugar are two tasty beverage options for people who are worried about controlling their sugar intake. Both beverages are sweetened with aspartame, which is a low-calorie chemical sweetener that is derived from aspartic acid and phenylalanine. However, the key difference between Dr Pepper Zero Sugar and Diet Dr Pepper is that the Zero Sugar beverage gets its sweetness from a mixture of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, or Ace-K. Coke Zero Sugar and Pepsi Zero Sugar also contain Ace-K.

Ace-K is a calorie-free artificial sweetener created from a synthetic compound of acetoacetic acid with fluorosulfonyl isocyanate. Basically, like other zero-calorie artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas, it is a chemical that is man-made from other chemicals. It is over 200 times sweeter than natural sugar, so less of it can be used to achieve the sweet taste you'll experience when drinking Dr Pepper Zero Sugar. When it is combined with other low- or no-calorie artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, the result is a more natural sugary taste that is almost like real sugar.

For people who prefer Dr Pepper Zero Sugar over Diet Dr Pepper, it could be because of the more balanced taste resulting from the unique combination of aspartame and Ace-K. Many people think that Dr Pepper Zero Sugar tastes less like a diet soda, and more like the flavor of original Dr Pepper. The combination of both aspartame and Ace-K creates a more natural sugary taste, and some people do not notice the slightly bitter diet soda aftertaste often associated with artificial sweeteners as a result. 

In fact, we even ranked Dr Pepper Zero Sugar number one in our list of 13 popular zero-sugar sodas. On the Dr Pepper website, it describes the taste of both Diet Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper Zero Sugar as an "iconic blend of 23 flavors," but some fans of the Zero Sugar version of the beverage claim that it has a richer flavor profile and more balanced taste than its Diet counterpart. The aspartame-only formula of Diet Dr Pepper may contribute to its distinctly "diet" flavor and the resulting aftertaste that some people find off-putting. To sample them yourself, you can order 12-packs of both Diet Dr Pepper and a Dr Pepper Zero Sugar on Amazon.