Ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages: Nutritional composition and erosive potential

Abstract

Purpose

The appearance of a rapidly expanding range of ready-to-drink packaged beverages in the marketplace has been met with widespread consumer acceptance. The aim of this study is to profile the nutritional composition and dental erosive potential of a sample of beverages sold for consumption in Brisbane supermarkets.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 44 beverages were assessed to determine their pH and titratable acidity. Information relating to nutritional composition was also collected.

Findings

Milk-based beverages had the highest energy concentration, while soft drinks, energy drinks, flavoured milk, and fruit and vegetable juice categories contained products with very high sugar concentrations (>10g/100ml). All beverages, except milk-based products and still water, had a pH of less than 4.8. Titratable acidity was highest for energy drinks and fruit and vegetable juices.

Research limitations/implications

Energy drinks and fruit and vegetable juices had the highest sugar content and titratable acidity of all the beverage categories and so would be expected to have the greatest potential to cause oral health problems. Milk drinks had the highest energy concentration, but the lowest erosive potential. Regular consumption of many ready-to-drink pre-packaged beverages is therefore inconsistent with recommendations in current dietary and oral health guidelines.

Originality/value

Rather than considering nutritional composition alone, this study examined both nutritional and physicochemical properties of ready-to-drink packaged beverages to reach a more holistic assessment of their health impact.

Citation

Yang, C.-S., Ford, P., Liu, X., Leishman, S. and Schubert, L. (2016), "Ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverages: Nutritional composition and erosive potential", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 46 No. 3, pp. 396-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-09-2015-0117