Chemistry of Soft Drinks

Chemistry

Fruit juices and soft drinks are available in essentially the same form almost anywhere in the world. From polar bases to the tropics, and from the largest developed nations to small and less developed countries, soft drinks and fruit juices are available in bottles, cans, laminated paper packs, pouches, cups and almost every other form of packaging known. Soft drinks are those drinks which do not contain alcohol. These soft drinks are either carbonated or non-carbonated soft drinks. Carbonated soft drinks are consumed widely across the globe. Today, when people are becoming more health conscious, concerns are being raised regarding the impact of carbonated soft drinks on health. When discussing the effects of carbonated soft drinks on health carbon dioxide, phosphoric acid and sugar are main concern. Most carbonated beverages have acidic pH which results in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) like symptoms. The phosphoric solution in these beverages is powerful enough to cause human teeth to become soft. The caffeine present in colas is known to be a hazardous factor for osteoporosis. When taken after a period of dehydration, the sugar in these beverages is known to cause more renal injury then plain water. The sugar in these beverages may lead to lipids production in the body and result in obesity, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and pancreatic cancer. Hence, it is necessary to monitor diet and focus on natural and healthy beverages [2:13-14].

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