Abstract
Beverages are consumed in Nigeria irrespective of age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Beverages may be alcoholic (wine, spirits, and beers) or non-alcoholic (soft drink, energy drinks, candies, chocolates, milks). Notwithstanding, most beverages are packed in cans, bottles, and plastics. This paper reviews the concentration of heavy metals from some commercially-packaged beverages consumed in Nigeria. The study found that heavy metal concentrations, including iron, mercury, tin, antimony, cadmium, zinc, copper, chromium, lead, and manganese, seldom exceed the maximum contaminant level recommended by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as applicable to drinking water resources. The occurrence of heavy metals in the beverages could have resulted from the feedstocks and water used in their production. Consumption of beverages high in heavy metal could be toxic and cause adverse effect to human health, depending on the rate of exposure and accumulation dosage. This study concludes by suggesting that heavy metal concentration in the feedstocks and water should be monitored by producers, and its concentration in beverages should also be monitored by appropriate regulatory agencies.
Highlights
Food is a vital substance required by all organisms for the sustenance of life, and its associated functions, such as growth, development, and maintenance of the body [1,2,3]
Authors have reported that non-alcoholic beverages usually have low cadmium content i.e., within the permissible limits as reported by Adepoju-Bello et al [41], Engwa et al [39], Salako et al [44], Magomya et al [30], and higher concentrations above maximum contaminant level (MCL) limits have been reported by Iweala et al [1] and Adegbola et al [52]
Several non-alcoholic drinks i.e., soft drinks and energy drinks, which are predominantly packaged in cans, bottles, and plastics, abound in Nigeria
Summary
Food is a vital substance required by all organisms for the sustenance of life, and its associated functions, such as growth, development, and maintenance of the body [1,2,3]. Others routes through which humans are exposed to heavy metals include contaminated air, water, and soil [29]. It could be from the raw materials used for the processing of the specific food products and water. During the production of beers, hops and cereals are used, which are plant-based and the soil in which they are cultivated could be contaminated by pesticides and fertilizers, which may contain traces of heavy metal [27]. Non-essential heavy metals could be toxic to cells of the body even at low concentrations. Several heavy metals, including mercury, lead, zinc, cadmium, iron, manganese, chromium, antimony, tin, copper, nickel, and arsenic, have been reported in beverages consumed in Nigeria. This study assesses the potential heavy metal toxicity associated with beverage consumption in Nigeria
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