One procedure that has long disturbed animal activists is the LD50 test. Widely used since the 1920s, the test involves force-feeding products to 40 or more animals, usually rodents, until half of them die. The lethal dose for 50% of the population establishes the product’s ranking in an index of acute toxicity. Over the years, rats at P&G have been force-fed the ingredients of Tide detergent, Prell shampoo and Downy fabric softener, among others.
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Why is a truly accurate artificial chocolate flavor so hard to come up with?
“Chocolate is one of Mother Nature’s best-kept secrets,” says James F. Echeandia, a candy consultant in Orlando, Fla. Only the flavors of coffee and sizzling meat are harder to reproduce.
