Naslov
ENERGY DRINK LABELING: SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?

Autori
Pavlovic, Nika ; Vitale, Ksenija ; Miskulin, Ivan ; Holik, Dubravka ; Domacinovic, Magdalena ; Miskulin, Maja

Izvornik
Journal of Hygienic Engineering and Design (1857-8489) 26 (2019), 1; 20-27

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
Energy drinks ; Labeling ; Caffeine ; Young people ; Health

Sažetak
The consumption of energy drinks (EDs) among young people, particularly adolescents, over the last ten years is constantly increasing, along with even greater demands of the European market regarding labeling. There are warning signs about the harmful effects of energy drinks, leaving an open question of labeling control, and consequently, average daily intake of specific components such as caffeine which can be harmful especially for vulnerable groups. The aim of this study was to compare the labeled caffeine concentrations of commercially available EDs with actual concentrations, and to explore possible differences between various brands, price range, volume and energy content. During February 2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted in order to determine the caffeine content in 48 commercially available energy drinks in the Osijek-Baranja County, Eastern Croatia using the high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector method. All samples of energy drinks were labeled with caffeine and measured concentrations were predominantly consistent with the labeling values. Mean caffeine concentration for all brands was measured to be 322.718 mg/L. From nine brands of tested EDs only three brands had small deviations (< 5 mg/L) while two brands had deviations from 5 to 10 mg/L. Also three brands had deviations bigger than 10 mg/L, leaving one brand with deviation of even 30.440 mg/L, . The study revealed that there were statistically significant differences between mean measured and labeled caffeine concentrations in groups of EDs considering product label (p=0.024), in groups of EDs considering product price (p=0.024) and in groups of EDs considering product declared energy value (p=0.009). The study further showed that there was no statistically significant difference in measured and labeled caffeine concentrations between groups of EDs considering product volume (p=0.212). Although there is a great concern about adverse effects of EDs consumption, our study showed consistency between labeled values and actual values of caffeine. We can conclude that present labels are sufficient giving enough details.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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