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Mineral Composition and Nutritive Value of Isotonic and Energy Drinks

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Abstract

Several very popular brands of isotonic and energy drinks consumed for fluid and electrolyte supplementation and stimulation of mental or physical alertness were chosen for investigation. Liquid beverages available in polyethylene bottles and aluminum cans as well as products in the form of tablets and powder in sachets were studied. The total concentrations of 21 elements (Ag, Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn), both essential and toxic, were simultaneously determined in preconcentrated drink samples by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) equipped with pneumatic and ultrasonic nebulizers. Differences between the mineral compositions of isotonic and energy drinks were evaluated and discussed. The highest content of Na was found in both isotonic and energy drinks, whereas quite high concentrations of Mg were found in isotonic drinks, and the highest amount of calcium was quantified in energy drinks. The concentrations of B, Co, Cu, Ni, and P were higher in isotonic drinks, but energy drinks contained greater quantities of Ag, Cr, Zn, Mn, and Mo and toxic elements, as Cd and Pb. A comparison of element contents with micronutrient intake and tolerable levels was performed to evaluate contribution of the investigated beverages to the daily diet. The consumption of 250 cm3 of an isotonic drink provides from 0.32 % (for Mn) up to 14.8 % (for Na) of the recommended daily intake. For the energy drinks, the maximum recommended daily intake fulfillment ranged from 0.02 % (for V) to 19.4 or 19.8 % (for Mg and Na).

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Acknowledgments

The work was financed by a statutory activity subsidy from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the Faculty of Chemistry of Wrocław University of Technology.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Analytical Chemistry Division, Chemistry Department, Wrocław University of Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland

    Anna Leśniewicz, Magdalena Grzesiak, Wiesław Żyrnicki & Jolanta Borkowska-Burnecka

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  1. Anna Leśniewicz
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  2. Magdalena Grzesiak
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  3. Wiesław Żyrnicki
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  4. Jolanta Borkowska-Burnecka
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Correspondence to Anna Leśniewicz.

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Leśniewicz, A., Grzesiak, M., Żyrnicki, W. et al. Mineral Composition and Nutritive Value of Isotonic and Energy Drinks. Biol Trace Elem Res 170, 485–495 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-015-0471-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-015-0471-8

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