Abstract
Soft drinks are being consumed daily by the
youngsters. The increased consumption of soft
drinks is due to its affordability and taste. The
low cost to prepare it, leads to use of additives
containing contaminants which may lead to
health hazards. Some of the basic components
used in it may also cause bad effects due
to regular consumption. The presence of
certain components were studied in cold
drinks popular in the market and which are
frequently consumed. The cold drink samples
were screened for the presence of Glucose,
Carbon dioxide and Phosphate while its pH,
Conductivity, Nitrates, Sulphates, Alkalinity,
Chlorides and Caffeine were analysed. The
results reveal that some parameters are above
the permissible limits and the cold drinks, if
consumed on regular basis, may lead to serious
health hazards.
Keywords : Soft Drinks, carbonated
non-alcoholic beverages, health hazards,
contaminants.
Introduction
Carbonated soft drinks are known as sugarsweetened
beverages which contain water,
sweetener, flavouring agents, colouring agents,
preservatives and also caffeine2. These contents
give the drink a characteristic taste and flavour.
The consumption of these soft drinks has been
drastically increased due to easy availability,
cheap rates and bombarding advertisements.
This may lead to various health hazards like
weight gain, diabetes 2, risk of osteoporosis,
dental caries, kidney damage and also increased
blood pressure1,3. Considering all these reasons
the study was undertaken to analyse few
parameters from the cold drink and check their
permissible levels in it.