When I drink a glass of cranberry juice, the juice at the top tastes sweet(ish) and the juice at the bottom tastes really bitter, even though I shake the bottle well before pouring. Is there a scientific explanation for this?
by 
Carmella
ANSWERS: 2
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Is it the juice changing, or your tastebuds? Have you tried drinking with a straw, so that you drinl the bottom first and the top last? Is the effect reversed (i.e. it starts bitter and get sweet) or does it still go the same way round? Dose it still occur if you drink the first half, then leave an hour before drinking te second half?
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There could be several reasons... Firstly, there is obviously a compound in the juice that is bitter - I would try different brands to see if it is related to an additive that is used, or it may well be naturally occurring in the cranberry. This compound could be denser in weight than other compounds in the juice, and settle in the glass as you drink it, increasing its concentration in the last two centimetres of the glass. The compound could also be more detectable at a higher temperature, and as you drink and it sits there on the bench between sips and is agitated while you sip it, the temperature change could be enough to release the compound from the juice matrix and make it detectable to you. You could rule this out by putting ice blocks in your juice to keep the temp low while you drink it.
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