What do you do that you earn six figures?

r/financialindependence • u/fidgit86 • 9d ago

It seems like a lot of people make a lot of money and it seems like I’m missing out on something. So those of you that do, whats your occupation that pays so well?

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u/Maeberry2007 9d ago

Do you pursue the noble goal of creating banana flavored candy that ACTUALLY tastes like bananas?

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

Nah. Wouldn't sell. Contrary to what you might think, you dont actually like true-to-banana taste. At least the market doesn't. Many many authentic banana flavors have been developed, but they always get beat in the market by isoamyl acetate runts :)

I feel your pain.

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u/Maeberry2007 9d ago

I like that you knew I was talking about Runts and not Laffy Taffy or something haha

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u/YouAreAPyrate 9d ago

Runts taste like learning to makeout in a movie theater to me, and will always hold a special place in my...tasebuds. But fuck, they don't taste anything like what I want a banana to taste like.

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u/ProtegeAA 9d ago

I for one totally prefer fake banana flavor

Sorry everyone

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u/YouAreAPyrate 9d ago

Give me that fake-ass Laffy Taffy banana flavor until my tongue is numb, idgaf.

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

See, this is why we can't have nice things

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u/geographical_data 9d ago

I synthesized isoamyl acetate for my organics final, no value there just thought it was cool that's the first time I've seen the compound mentioned in 2 years

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u/greybeard_arr 9d ago

I instinctively downvoted you because I was irritated to read that. But, I changed it when I stopped to realize you’re just the messenger.

Mind if I ask what a day in the life of a flavor chemist is like?

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

It's basically project specific flavor design. Customer wants a new flavor for their beverage line. I make one, taste, tweak, and repeat until it is good. Lots of sensory science and analytical chemistry sprinkled in along the way.

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u/TheOftenNakedJason 9d ago

I read somewhere that banana flavored candy actually tastes more like the cultivar of banana prior to the Cavendish (gross Michael or something?), But that style suffered from the fungal outbreak in the 50s and caused banana growers to switch to a different kind of banana, which tastes different.

I don't know if it's true or not, just my internet fact about banana flavors that I perpetuate without much thought or fact checking.

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

It is true! However, the flavor also was developed at a time when analytical chemistry wasn't as sophisticated, and flavor chemicals weren't as widely available. Isoamyl acetate is the characterizing component of that cultivar, but there are hundreds of other components that contribute to the flavor.

Isoamyl acetate was easy to synthesize, cheap, and people liked it in the confections it was used in. So it stuck.

It's the same reason why fake cherry flavors all taste like cough syrup. Benzaldehyde is in that class of "old fashioned" flavor components that were used before more advanced flavor development tools were used.

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u/TheOftenNakedJason 9d ago

So interesting! Thank you for responding. It's funny how we like what we like because we liked it before, even if we should like something new more, sometimes the familiar wins out.

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

Bingo! It's often the bane of my existence. I've developed hundreds of punch profiles, but if it doesn't taste like Hawaiian punch, the customer doesn't want it...

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u/TheOftenNakedJason 9d ago

Maybe with everyone losing their sense of taste and smell they'll have a fresh palette for your creations ;)

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

God I hope so. Guava blackberry punch coming to a store near you!!!

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u/I_no_know 9d ago

There are some Asian bananas that are absolutely incredible (the short ones that have to be black), and similar to the old bananas, from what I understand.

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u/KPayAudio 9d ago

How does Bang create such a wide variety of flavors without sugar?

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u/pustabusta 9d ago

There are certain chemicals like maltol that naturally impart a sweet smell so retro nasally you perceive sweet

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u/KPayAudio 9d ago

Fascinating thank you

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

Bang uses a ton of high-impact artificial sweeteners. Sucralose is their sweetener of choice, I believe.

The flavors are just any old beverage flavors. Although in my opinion they are overly flavored and overly sweet.

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u/KPayAudio 9d ago

Some them are sure, like that cotton candy one. But I am just impressed at the range of flavors, artificial sweeteners would probably do it. Thanks!

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u/sully9088 9d ago

I thought the banana flavor we get is actually based on a certain type of banana that most people can't get in grocery stores. No?

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

Yup, see my response in the other comment!

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u/zen_nudist [34, 70% SR] 9d ago

Tell us more!

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u/I_no_know 9d ago

What’s your favorite chemical?

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u/Pizzamann_ 9d ago

I like smokey, vanilla, bourbon like chemicals. And stinky ones. Guaiacol, Syringol, and Diallyl Disulfide are some of my favorite

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u/ca_exhibition 9d ago

Damn, I'd like to learn more details about what you do.

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u/spacegirl3 9d ago

I fucking love isoamyl acetate flavor, and if I had a time machine, my first stop would be to get some old school bananas.

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u/bardiche-like-thing 9d ago

Hi, why does green candy always taste like grass?

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u/Bredwh 9d ago

I've read banana flavored candy tastes like how bananas used to taste. Then there was a disease that killed off most of that banana species so they had to switch to the kind we know now which is less flavorful but lasts longer in shipping, etc.

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u/borgasmorg7 9d ago

There are still varieties of bananas that taste somewhat similar to the artificial flavor. Bananas from the Canary Islands, for example.

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u/Bredwh 9d ago

Yeah the Gros Michel can still be found but is rare.

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u/mertality 9d ago

Source?

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u/eda111 9d ago

I don’t know about the candy part but it’s true disease killed off our last common banana and it’s happening to our current one again

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u/Bredwh 9d ago

https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/why-dont-banana-candies-taste-like-real-bananas/

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u/mertality 9d ago

This is really cool. And in the article they use the term “top banana” to refer to the best variety of banana at the time. This is also the name of Jelly Belly’s banana flavored jelly bean.

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u/Shamewizard1995 9d ago

Here’s another fun fact: the reason bananas were so vulnerable to the disease is because all banana plants of a species are clones. Since bananas don’t have seeds, there is no way for them to reproduce so you have to spread cuttings that are genetically identical. Same for some other fruits too, it’s very likely we will see another common flavor disappear one day

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u/Bredwh 8d ago

The current bananas are already dying from another disease so we may lose them too.