Screening for the Presence of Some Heavy Metals, Total Soluble Solids and Caffeine Contents in Some Energy Drinks Sold in Jordanian Market

Abstract

Energy drinks (EDs) are beverages that are devoid of alcohol containing high amounts of caffeine and sugar. Energy drinks are available in the Jordanian market and consumed by Jordanian youth. There is no Jordanian standard for EDs. Establishing a standardization for a certain contaminant requires assessing the heavy metal content in the EDs available in the market. This research aimed to screen the 10 most consumed energy drinks sold in the Jordan market for total soluble solids, caffeine contents, and the presence of some heavy metals. This study, thus, will serve as an initial step for setting a standard for heavy metals in EDs in Jordan. The analyzed EDs didn’t contain detectable amounts of Pb. On the other hand, the analyzed samples contained 0.1 to 2.8, 1.8 to 6.5, 0.01, and 0.2 to 3.5 mg kg-1 Cu, Ni, Cd, and Fe respectively. The total soluble solids content of the studied samples ranged between 4.8 to 15.4 g/100 g. On the other hand, the caffeine content of the analyzed samples ranged between 24.7 to 32 mg/100 mL. It is recommended to establish a Jordanian standards specification for energy drinks including heavy metal, total dissolved solids, and caffeine.