RED BULL

'Red Bull' is the brand name of an energy drink that originated in Thailand and, in a version adapted to Austrian tastes, is now popular throughout the world. Sold by Red Bull GmbH as an energy drink to combat mental and physical fatigue, it contains, per 250 ml (8.3 U.S. fl. oz.) serving, about 27 g of sugar (glucose, sucrose), 1000 mg of taurine, 600 mg of glucuronolactone, B-complex vitamins and 80 mg of caffeine. The caffeine in one serving is less than that found in an average cup of coffee (typically 100 mg/250-ml cup) or twice as much as found in a can of Coke (40 mg/330-ml can) -around 80 mg per can. A sugar-free version has been available since the beginning of 2003 . Sugar-free Red Bull is sweetened with aspartame, as opposed to sucrose and glucose, as found in original Red Bull.
The drink tastes of mixed berries, and is commonly used as mixer in alcoholic drinks such as vodka and is the base ingredient in the now famous Jagerbomb and Remytini. Almost 1 billion of the slim 250 ml cans were sold in 2000 in over 100 countries, 260 million of them in the UK. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries. 3,903 employees generated 2.6 billion euros in turnover.
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Contents

Ingredients

Health concerns

Origins

Other Red Bull products

See also

References

External links

Ingredients

Carbonated Water, sucrose, glucose, sodium citrate, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, (niacinamide, calciumpantothenate, pyridoxine HCL, Vitamin B12, natural and artificial flavors, and colors)
CBC claims laboratory tests of 80 mg of caffeine and 1000 mg of taurine in a standard 250 ml (8.3 fl. oz) can of Red Bull energy drink.[2] This is a little less than the amount of caffeine found in an average cup of coffee (typically 100 mg/250-ml cup) and about two times as much caffeine as many leading cola drinks.
In its natural form, taurine is derived from animal tissue, having been first isolated from bull (''Bos taurus'') bile; however, the taurine used in the Red Bull drink is produced synthetically. It is also the first energy drink to list glucuronolactone in its ingredient list.

Health concerns

Red Bull is subject to numerous unproven claims of adverse health effects, most of which are urban legends. In 2001, the drink was investigated by the Swedish National Food Administration after being linked to the deaths of three consumers, and was completely cleared. It has been subject to a number of other health concerns regarding glucuronolactone, a of taurine. Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring chemical compound produced by the metabolism of glucose in the human liver. It has received some notoriety due to urban legends that it was a Vietnam War-era drug manufactured by the American government. The rumor goes on to say that it was banned due to several brain tumor-related deaths. The rumor has since been proven false, as neither the cited ''British Medical Journal'' article nor the "banning of its consumption" ever occurred. Furthermore, no warnings appear on the Food and Drug Administration website regarding its potential to cause brain tumors or other maladies [3]. Sale of Red Bull as a normal soft drink is prohibited in Denmark, Norway, France, Uruguay and Iceland, but not Sweden. Due to the link with taurine, only energy drinks without taurine are sold in France, but infant formula sold there (and worldwide) is commonly supplemented with taurine.

Origins

The origins of Red Bull are often disputed. The original Red Bull drink was developed in 1962 by Chaleo Yoovidhya, a Thai businessman, and sold under the name ''Krating Daeng'' (กระทิงแดง, Thai for ''Red Bull'') by the company TC Pharmaceutical.^[2] The recipe was based on Lipovitan, an earlier energy drink that had been introduced to Thailand from Japan. Krating Daeng sales soared across Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, especially among truck drivers, construction workers and farmers. Truck drivers used to drink redbull to stay awake during the long late night drive. The working class image was boosted by sponsorship of Thai boxing matches, where the logo of two red bulls charging each other was often on display.
The Thai product was transformed into a global brand by Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian entrepreneur. Mateschitz was international marketing director for Blendax, a German toothpaste company, when he visited Thailand in 1982 and discovered that Krating Daeng helped to cure his jet lag.^[3] Between 1984 and 1987, Mateschitz worked with TC Pharmaceutical (a Blendax licensee) to adapt Krating Daeng for European audiences. At the same time Mateschitz and Chaleo founded Red Bull GmbH; each investing $500,000 of savings and taking a 49% stake in the new company. They gave the remaining 2% to Chaleo's son Chalerm, but it was agreed that Mateschitz would run the company.^[4] Red Bull GmbH launched the “Austrian” version of Red Bull in 1987, which is carbonated and not as sweet as the original Thai recipe. It is the Austrian formula that has taken almost half of the US market for energy drinks, and up to 80% of the market in some other countries.
In addition to owning half of Red Bull GmbH, Chaleo and his son continue to market the original formula across Asia. In 2006, Forbes Magazine listed Chaleo as being the 292nd richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of over $2.5 billion^[5] while Mateschitz was listed at number 317.^[6]
The headquarters of Red Bull GmbH are located in Fuschl am See, Austria.

Other Red Bull products

The Red Bull company also distributes and markets a number of other drinks in the United Kingdom including the Carpe Diem range of herbal soft beverages, and the Sabai Wine Spritzer (the latter in association with the Thai Siam Winery in Thailand)
The original Thai ''Krating Daeng'' is often available in many Asian grocery stores in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. It is usually cheaper than the domestic (mainstream Red Bull) variety. Government mandated nutrition fact labels are usually added by the importer.

See also

★ Red Bull GmbH, the company which produces and markets this product

★ Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix New Zealand

★ Trent and Mersey Canal

★ Lipovitan

★ Red Bull Air Race World Series

★ Team Red Bull and Red Bull Racing

★ List of energy drinks

References

1. 'Rekord bei Red Bull', ORF online (Austrian national television), 2006 [1]
2. 'Energy Drinks in the U.S.' Beverage Marketing Corporation, 2006 [4]
3. 'Selling Energy', Economist, May 9 2002 [5]
4. 'Soda with a buzz', Forbes, 28 March 2005, [6]
5. ''Billionaires, #292 Chaleo Yoovidhya', Forbes , 2006 [7]
6. ''Billionaires, #317 Dietrich Mateschitz', Forbes , 2006 [8]

External links

★ Red Bull Home

★ Red Bull America

★ Red Bull Art of The Can (Red Bull International Art Competition)

★ Red Bull Mobile Energy Team

★ Red Bull Flugtag Online Game (American Version)

★ Red Bull Dragsterday Online Game

★ Red Bull RockCrawlers (Red Bull Sponsored extreme off-road competition team)

★ Upcoming Red Bull Events

★ Bull's Eye Magazine (Web TV, presentation of Red Bull events and activities)

★ Red Bull health impact (Google Answers)

★ French ban on Red Bull upheld by European Court Medical News Today (Feb 2004)

★ Press release of the European Court inf the French case

★ Raging Bull Investigation CBC Marketplace (Feb 2005)

★ Science vs. the Bull Rebuttal to the CBC Marketplace article above (Mar 2005)

★ Bull Marketed Urban legends pertaining to Red Bull (Oct 2004)

★ Red Bull 'masks alcoholic effect' BBC News (Mar 2006)

★ Red Bull F1 Fan car fundraising website a campaign for uploading pictures to a Formula 1 Car to raise money for spinal injury research