Saccharin is Steampunk

[RJBowman]

I saw this video last week, and was inspired by J. Wilhelm's post about American Cheese. It was discovered in 1879.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwAKFeqJznI

In the 19th century, coal tar extract were important to industry as a source of textile dies among other uses. I guess it was inevitable that the source of artificially color for the visual sense could also produce artificial flavors.

Be grateful that coal tar only became a source of flavoring, and did not become a source of the substance of synthetic foods.

Additional history from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin#History

[Sir Henry]

I'm not sure that I can agree; for me something so basic, straightforward and undecorated has no place in the Steampunk universe.
Except, of course, as an ingredient in a much more fantastical creation such as a life-sized crystal candy copy of the Eiffel Tower perhaps.

[von Corax]

I'm not sure that I can agree; for me something so basic, straightforward and undecorated has no place in the Steampunk universe.
Except, of course, as an ingredient in a much more fantastical creation such as a life-sized crystal candy copy of the Eiffel Tower perhaps.

It's food made from coal tar! How is that not Steampunk?

[Sir Henry]

I'm not sure that I can agree; for me something so basic, straightforward and undecorated has no place in the Steampunk universe.
Except, of course, as an ingredient in a much more fantastical creation such as a life-sized crystal candy copy of the Eiffel Tower perhaps.

It's food made from coal tar! How is that not Steampunk?

You are right, of course. 

[J. Wilhelm]

That was a fairly interesting article. And it has profound implications for the Victorian Food list. Because sugar is listed as one of the products branded by several companies in the 19th. C., then it follows that Saccharin must be listed too,provided a brand name can be found attached to the product since its emergence through to present day.

However, the original company which produced it for Fahlberg in New York in 1886, Schulze-Berge, Koechl & Movius (Magdeburg, Germany) no longer exists, and it's not clear if anyone at all still holds the patent for it, or if it's name "Saccharine" is itself a registered active trademark.

[RJBowman]

...it's not clear if anyone at all still holds the patent for it, or if it's name "Saccharine" is itself a registered active trademark.

The name doesn't seem to be trademarked, but saccharin does have an official web site:
https://saccharin.org/

It appears to belong to an industry group.

[von Corax]

As far as I can tell from TSOATAK, the term "saccharin" by itself has never been trademarked.

[J. Wilhelm]

...it's not clear if anyone at all still holds the patent for it, or if it's name "Saccharine" is itself a registered active trademark.

The name doesn't seem to be trademarked, but saccharin does have an official web site:
https://saccharin.org/

It appears to belong to an industry group.

I found that site, but seems to be just a consortium of companies.

As far as I can tell from TSOATAK, the term "saccharin" by itself has never been trademarked.

Yeah, I'm not finding anything either.  However the potential for impact on the list is for products that may have been kept from the list due to "modern ingredients."

Most of the time it's the formula or ingredients list being too different from the Victorian recipe, but I'm not sure if there was a brand excluded due to the use of saccharine.  Probably not, but I have to review the 3 lists.