Determination of some soft drink constituents and contamination by some heavy metals in Nigeria

Engwa, G.A. and Ihekwoaba, Cynthia Jane and ILO, S.U. and Ayuk, E.L. and Unaegbu, M. and Osuji, G.A. (2015) Determination of some soft drink constituents and contamination by some heavy metals in Nigeria. Toxicology Reports, 2. pp. 384-390.

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Abstract

tSoft drinks are consumed daily in Nigeria due to its affordability, characteristic taste, andthirst quenching potential. However, the high demand may compromise the quality ofproduction with possible contamination of heavy metals which have shown to cause intox-ication and death in humans. This study evaluated some constituents of twenty-six softdrinks in Nigeria and investigated the presence of some heavy metal contaminants. Thesoft drinks were screened for the presence of sugar, carbon dioxide, phosphate and alcoholas well as the pH and acidity determined. The level of cadmium, mercury and lead weredetermined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The study showed the presenceof sugar, carbon dioxide, phosphate, and alcohol in the soft drinks. The soft drinks wereacidic in nature, pH ranging from 3 to 5 with a mean of 3.6 and the acid concentrationwas relatively low between 3 and 12 g/L with a mean of 8.1 g/L. Lead was present in allthe samples ranging from 0.17 to 3.39 mg/L with a mean of 0.8, mercury was present in22 samples ranging from 0.29 to 11.32 mg/L with a mean of 2.08 mg/L while cadmium waspresent only in one sample (0.149 mg/L). When compared to EPA, WHO and NIS standards,the levels of the heavy metal contaminants were above the tolerated limits for good qualitydrinking water in most samples. These results suggest that soft drinks in Nigeria may becontaminated with heavy metals which constitute a major public health problem. Thus,quality control is recommended during the production process especially at the stages ofsterilization and purification.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) Q Science > Q Science (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences
Depositing User:	miss ifeoma agbo
Date Deposited:	24 Apr 2019 10:32
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2019 10:32
URI:	http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/1217

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