Drench Fruit Juice Drink doesn't freeze!!!

snips86x · 26 Jul 2014 at 06:55

Here is an interesting one.

Mother-in-law put a bottle of water and a bottle of Drench (Cranberry & Raspberry) into the freezer last night.

She took it out of the freezer this morning, the bottle of water had frozen but the Drench drink hadn't. There was not even an ice crystal inside the bottle.

For a drink which contains 88% water, what could have been added to stop it from freezing?

Ingredients: Spring Water** (88%)
Fruit Juices from Concentrate (Grape 6%, Cranberry 1%, Raspberry 1%)
Sugar
Natural Raspberry and Cranberry Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings
Citric Acid
Natural Colour (Anthocyanins)
Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Dimethyl Dicarbonate)
Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides).
**Sourced at Huddersfield**

Alcohol and antifreeze are the only things I can think of which don't freeze and I'm pretty sure they'd not use either in a drink like this!

Has anyone had this before? Willing to try and freeze one?

haaammit · 26 Jul 2014 at 07:31

Maybe to do with the Dimethyl Dicarbonate? Looking on wiki it says once it's been added to a bottle it breaks down into various componants, one of which is methanol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyl_dicarbonate

estebanrey · 26 Jul 2014 at 07:48

snips86x said:
Alcohol and antifreeze are the only things I can think of which don't freeze and I'm pretty sure they'd not use either in a drink like this!

Just to be pedantic; both of them will freeze, they just have a lower freezing point than water (and the temperature of your freezer).

Entropy · 26 Jul 2014 at 08:12

Salts suppress the freezing point of water.

Yaayuh! · 26 Jul 2014 at 08:18

You're not trying hard enough....

Glaucus · 26 Jul 2014 at 08:19

Lots of things lower freezing point. Sugar is probably the leading candidate here. You have fruit juice as well as extra sugar.
And your freezer maybe rubbish.

LizardKing · 26 Jul 2014 at 08:23

Your mother in law is an alcoholic and secretly put vodka in it

Derek W · 26 Jul 2014 at 08:46

you forgot to add the 'rancid' factor of drench.

Participant · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:32

Broken freezer.

snips86x · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:36

Lol, interesting to read about the preservatives. Freezer is fine thanks

DoneADougalOnSofa · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:36

Participant said:
Broken freezer.

I reckon this.

Vodka goes all syrupy at -18C, can't see any way that juice wouldn't be frozen solid unless the freezer is barely below freezing.
Might be time to get a thermometer in there...

Ryan-3 · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:37

Everything added to the water will change the waters freezing and boiling point. Then, the other 12% of stuff in the bottle has its own freezing point. I'm guessing the pressure in the bottle may have slightly increased - due to the water expansion - so the rest of the components will have a slightly decreased melting point, which won't be by a huge amount. If it was to drop by even one degree, it may take it lower than the freezer is running at. The Dimethyl Carbonate makes Methanol when mixed with water, that would even stay liquid in dry ice! (-78°C), so you'll never reach the ~-98°C it needs.

All in all, stop her making these vodka fuelled cocktails and turn the freezer back up.

Glaucus · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:37

snips86x said:
Lol, interesting to read about the preservatives. Freezer is fine thanks

How do you know?
It should be at least -18c

DoneADougalOnSofa · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:37

snips86x said:
Lol, interesting to read about the preservatives. Freezer is fine thanks

Too slow.

OK that's an odd one.
Shall be purchasing a bottle to experiment with methinks.

snips86x · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:39

Lol, no alcohol in this place, previous bad experiences with violent drunks

jon86 · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:48

Ryan-3 said:
... turn the freezer back up.

The question is, do you turn the freezer's temperature setting up or down?

DoneADougalOnSofa · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:49

Ryan-3 said:
The Dimethyl Carbonate makes Methanol when mixed with water

True, but the amounts involved are tiny, as methanol is highly toxic.
Not enough to require -98C to freeze I would say...

Ryan-3 · 26 Jul 2014 at 09:52

jon86 said:
The question is, do you turn the freezer's temperature setting up or down?

Well, there's a question on maths and I can't be bothered to think of maths.

You are climbing the scale of negatives, but the value is decreasing, some other maths based blah..

Participant · 26 Jul 2014 at 10:19

jon86 said:
The question is, do you turn the freezer's temperature setting up or down?

Higher dial number = lower freezer temperature.

manic111 · 26 Jul 2014 at 10:25

Why do you want to freeze it?!