Estimated intake of sweeteners acesulfame-K and aspartame from soft drinks, soft drinks based on mineral waters and nectars in a scholar group of Portuguese teenagers

Overview & Synopsis

Abstract A surveillance of acesulfame-K and aspartame levels in soft drinks and in light nectars was undertaken. Furthermore, the estimated intake of these intense sweeteners was also studied in a scholar group of teenagers. Acesulfame-K was detected in 72% of the soft drinks, with a mean concentration of 72 mg/L. Aspartame was found in 92% of the samples. The mean concentration was 89 mg/L. When soft drinks results were analyzed according to the flavour, the cola drinks presented the highest mean levels for both the sweeteners, 98 and 103 mg/L for acesulfame-K and aspartame, respectively. In respect to soft drinks based on mineral waters, aspartame was found in 62% of the samples. The mean concentration value was 82 mg/L. Acesulfame-K was detected in 77%, with a mean level of 48 mg/L. All samples of nectars showed the presence of acesulfame-K, being the mean concentration of 128 mg/L. Aspartame was detected in 80% of the samples. The mean concentration was 73 mg/L. A frequency questionnaire, designed to identify adolescents having high consumption of these drinks, was filled in by a randomly extracted sample of teenagers (n=65) living in the city of Coimbra, in the year 2007. The estimated intakes of acesulfame-K and aspartame for the average consumer were below the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs). For acesulfame-K the EDI was 0.7 mg/kg b.w./day for soft drinks, 0.2 mg/kg b.w./day for soft drinks based on mineral waters, and 0.5 mg/kg b.w./day for nectars, representing 8.0%, 2.2%, and 5.8% of the ADI, respectively. Similar situation was observed for aspartame. In this way, the EDI for soft drinks was 1.1 mg/kg b.w./day, representing only 2.9% of the ADI. In respect to nectars, the EDI was 0.2 mg/kg b.w./day, what represents 0.5% of the ADI. Soft drinks based on mineral waters showed the lowest EDI values, 0.3 mg/kg b.w./day, accounting with 0.7 % ADI.