scholarly journals Guaraná's Journey from Regional Tonic to Aphrodisiac and Global Energy Drink

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Smith ◽  
André Luiz Atroch

Guaraná (Paullinia cupanaH.B.K., Sapindaceae) is a rainforest vine that was domesticated in the Amazon for its caffeine-rich fruits. Guaraná has long been used as a tonic and to treat various disorders in Brazil and abroad and became a national soda in Brazil about a century ago. In the last two decades or so, guaraná has emerged as a key ingredient in various ‘sports’ and energy drinks as well as concoctions that allegedly boost one's libido. For some time, guaraná's high caffeine content was thought to be a detriment because of health concerns about excessive intake of caffeine-rich drinks. But it is precisely this quality, and the fact that it has a mysterious name and comes from an exotic land, that has propelled guaraná into a global beverage.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 66-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad Rai ◽  
Hasta Bahadur Rai ◽  
Santosh Dahal ◽  
Saroj Chaudhary ◽  
Suraj Shrestha

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverage intended to enhance the psycho-physiological responses in human, which is especially popular among young generation in Nepal. It is normally high caffeinated drink added with other ingredients such as carbohydrates, amino acids, B-group of vitamins etc. In this study, 10 brands of energy drink available in Nepalese markets were taken then analyzed for quantitative determination of Caffeine and Taurine by HPLC-UV method. From the result obtained, pH and TSS values of energy drinks were found in the range of 2.96-3.81 and 6.64-18.21 respectively. Likewise, the Caffeine and Taurine content in same samples were found in the range of not detected (ND) to 35.78 mg/100 ml and ND to 387.5 mg/100 ml respectively. Only the 6 samples out of 10 were confi rmed caffeine content as per claimed in label, while only 3 samples were confi rmed for Taurine content as per label claimed. Based on this pilot study, the majority of samples did not meet the label claims in term of Caffeine and Taurine, which apparently indicated the misbranding of such drinks. Since, there is no any regulation for such energy drinks in Nepal, it seems to be a great challenge for regulation of their safety and misbranding.


Food Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-330
Author(s):  
N. Vuletic ◽  
L. Bardic ◽  
R. Odzak

This study aimed to determine concentrations of caffeine in the samples of the selected brands of teas, soft carbonated and energy drinks that are commercially available on the Croatian market. Quantitative analysis of caffeine content in the chosen beverage samples was done with UV/Vis spectrophotometric method. Chloroform was used as the solvent and concentrations of caffeine were measured at the wavelength of 274 nm for three samples of each of the selected beverages. Among the analyzed tea samples the highest caffeine concentration was found in Franck's Black Tea (1471.021 ppm) and the lowest in Naturavita's Green Tea with Ginger (588.138 ppm). Between the analyzed carbonated soft drinks, the highest caffeine concentration was measured in Fresh Cola (136.036 ppm) and the lowest in Sky Cola (48.198 ppm). The highest caffeine concentration in the analyzed energy drink samples was measured in Hell energy drink (394.670 ppm) while the lowest was in Coca Cola Energy drink (173.574 ppm). The results of this study gave preliminary information about caffeine levels in often consumed teas, carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks in Croatia. The caffeine content in the analyzed teas and drink samples in this study was under the allowed one except for Red Bull and Hell.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1081-1089
Author(s):  
Juthi Mirza ◽  
Masuda Sultana ◽  
Md. Esrafil ◽  
Shamoli Akter ◽  
Md. Jahangir Alam ◽  
...  

Caffeine is one of the commonly used food additives, which has unique flavor characteristics and bitter taste and used in soft drinks as flavor enhancer. An experimental study was designed to determine the concentration of caffeine in different brands of soft drinks and energy drinks available in Bangladesh by using HPLC. For chromatographic analysis, A Luna 5 C18 (2) 100A column (250×4.6 mm) was used at 37°C temperature at the wavelength of 272nm. Chromatographic separation was determined using buffer of sodium acetate and acetic acid with acetonitrile at a ratio of 80:20 (pH=4.0; flow rate of 1.0 ml/min). The results of this study showed that caffeine content in soft drinks ranged from 19.63 to 101.73 mg/100ml and highest concentration of caffeine found in brand 3 samples while lowest concentration found in brand 2 samples. Significantly higher concentration of caffeine (p<0.05) found in six soft drinks sample when compared to BSTI and FDA reference value except brand 2 sample (p>0.05). Quantification of caffeine in different brands of energy drink sample revealed that, four brand sample contained caffeine; among them brand 3 sample showed the highest levels of caffeine 295.86 mg/100ml and lowest amount found in brand 1 sample (101.74 mg/100ml). Concentration of Caffeine in soft and energy drinks exceeded the national and international standard recommended range hence this proposed HPLC method can be used for routine determination and control of caffeine content in different drinks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Mohammed Al-Bratty ◽  
Hassan A. Alhazmi ◽  
Zia ur Rehman ◽  
Sadique A. Javed ◽  
Waquar Ahsan ◽  
...  

The popularity of energy beverages among young adult population is high. These drinks are claimed to boost energy and performance and contain high concentration of caffeine as one of the several ingredients. Discrepancies have been encountered by some of the previous studies between the actual quantity of caffeine present in the product and the amount mentioned on the label, making the determination of caffeine content in these drinks very important. Thus, in this study, we analyzed the caffeine concentration in most popular energy drinks available in Saudi Arabia. The energy drink samples (n = 9) were procured from retail outlets. Sample solutions were prepared in methanol and analyzed for caffeine content by GC-MS. Chromatographic parameters were optimized to achieve optimum resolution and various validation parameters were evaluated. The method was successfully applied for the quantification of caffeine in energy drinks by directly injecting the multifold diluted samples in methanol. The method was linear (r2 = 0.999) over a concentration range of 5–25 µg/mL, specific, precise (%RSD of peak area = 0.56–0.78), and accurate (%recovery = 99.3–101.2%). The amounts of caffeine determined were found in the range of 20.82–33.72 mg/100 mL (52.05–84.3 mg/pack). Results revealed that the amount of caffeine actually present in the tested drinks varied within ±10% range from the amount specified on the product labels. The amounts of caffeine detected in tested beverages were within the USFDA safe upper limit of per-day caffeine consumption, which has indicated that the consumption of one serving of energy drink is unlikely to produce any adverse health effect.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Woods

SUMMARY MESSAGE: The main constituent of guarana is caffeine, with smaller quantities of theophylline and theobromine. There is no evidence that the berries or extracts contain anything else that is therapeutically useful. Guarana is associated with many therapeutic properties, but there is no evidence to support these other than effects that can be attributed to caffeine. Guarana is widely available in herbal products and energy drinks. Excessive intake can cause the same effects as too much caffeine. It is not widely recognised that guarana has a high caffeine content and the labelling on some products is misleading. Although not specifically studied, guarana would be expected to exhibit the same range of adverse effects and drug interactions as those associated with caffeine.


Author(s):  
Sean J. Johnson ◽  
Sarah Benson ◽  
Andrew Scholey ◽  
Chris Alford ◽  
Joris C. Verster

The relationship between risk-taking behavior, alcohol consumption and negative alcohol-related consequences is well known. The current analyses were conducted to investigate whether alcohol mixed with energy drink (AMED) is related to risk-taking behavior and if there is a relationship between the amount of energy drink mixed with alcohol consumed, risk-taking behavior and negative alcohol-related consequences. Data from N = 1276 AMED consuming students from the Netherlands, UK and Australia who completed the same survey were evaluated. The analysis revealed that, compared to AMED occasions, on alcohol only (AO) occasions significantly more alcohol was consumed and significantly more negative alcohol-related consequences were reported. On both AO and AMED occasions, there was a strong and positive relationship between amount of alcohol consumed, level of risk-taking behavior and number of reported negative alcohol-related consequences. In contrast, the level of risk-taking behavior was not clearly related to energy drink consumption. Across risk-taking levels, differences in the amount of energy drink consumed on AMED occasions did not exceed one 250 mL serving of energy drink. When correcting for the amount of alcohol consumed, there were no statistically significant differences in the number of energy drinks consumed on AMED occasions between the risk-taking groups. In conclusion, alcohol consumption is clearly related to risk-taking behavior and experiencing negative alcohol-related consequences. In contrast, energy drink intake was not related to level of risk-taking behavior and only weakly related to the number of experienced negative alcohol-related consequences.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Teri M Kozik ◽  
Mouchumi Bhattacharyya ◽  
Teresa T Nguyen ◽  
Therese F Connolly ◽  
Walther Chien ◽  
...  

Introduction: Energy drinks are presumed to enhance energy, physical endurance, mood, and boost metabolism. Serious health risks have been reported with energy drink consumption such as myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, stroke, seizures, and arrhythmias. More than 20,000 emergency department visits related to energy drink consumption were reported in 2011. Little is known about the possible pathophysiological mechanisms and adverse events associated with energy drinks. Unlike the tobacco and alcohol industry, there are limited restrictions regulating the purchasing and marketing of these drinks. Purpose: To determine if consumption of energy drinks alter; vital signs (blood pressure, temperature), electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, calcium), activated bleeding time (ACT), or cardiac responses measured with a 12-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) Holter. Method: Subjects consumed two-16 ounce cans of an energy drink within one hour and remained in the lab where data was collected at base line (BL) and then during four hours post consumption (PC). Vital signs were taken every 30 minutes; blood samples were collected at BL, one, two and four hours PC and ECG data was collected throughout the entire study period. Paired students t-test and a corresponding non-parametric test (Wilcoxon signed rank) were used for analysis of the data. Results: Fourteen healthy young subjects were recruited (mean age 28.6 years). Systolic blood pressure (BL=132, ±7.83; PC= 151, ±11.21; p=.001); QTc interval (BL=423, ±22.74; PC=503, ±24.56; p<.001); magnesium level (BL 2.04, ± 0.09; PC=2.13, ±0.15; p=.05); and calcium level (BL=9.31, ±.28; PC=9.52, ±.22; p=.018) significantly increased from BL. While potassium and ACT fluctuated (increase and decrease) no significant changes were observed. Eight of the fourteen subjects (57%) developed a QTc >500 milliseconds PC. Conclusions: In our sample, consumption of energy drinks increased systolic blood pressure, serum magnesium and calcium, and resulted in repolarization abnormalities. Because these physiological responses can lead to arrhythmias and other abnormal cardiac responses, further study in a larger sample is needed to determine the effects and possible consequences of energy drink consumption.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-31
Author(s):  
T.V. Adamchuk ◽  
S.M. Kuzminskiy ◽  
Т.О. Shchutska

Objective of the Work. Conduct an analysis of the safety studies of the major energy drink components carried out by various international scientific institutions. Compare European and Ukrainian legislation on the regulation of safe energy drink consumption. Methods and Materials. Analysis of scientific literature, as well as European and Ukrainian regulations on the safety and regulation of energy drinks. Results and Discussion. Non-alcoholic beverage is one that, due to its special component, activates the physiological functions of the human body. Its main components are caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, ginseng extracts, guarana and vitamin B complex. Caffeine safety assessment has been carried out by many scientific organizations. In 1991, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that caffeine was not classified as a human carcinogen. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has conducted a comprehensive and in-depth study on the safety of caffeine. The main findings of this study are: single doses of caffeine up to 200 mg (about 3 mg / kg body weight for an adult weighing 70 kg) do not cause safety concerns, regular caffeine intake up to 400 mg per day does not cause safety concerns for nonpregnant adults, regular caffeine intake of up to 200 mg daily by pregnant women does not cause fetal safety concerns, breastfeeding women do not raise infant safety concerns; for adolescents, caffeine intake in amounts that do not cause fears for adult caffeine intake (3 mg / kg body weight per day) may serve as a basis for determining safe single doses of caffeine and its daily intake, other components of energy drinks in concentrations typical of such drinks (about 300-320, 4000 and 2400 mg / l of caffeine, taurine and D-glucuronyl-γ-lactone, respectively), and also alcohol at doses up to 0.65 g / kg body weight do not affect the safety of receiving single doses of caffeine (up to 200 mg). Conclusions. The essential requirements governing the safe consumption of energy drinks relate to their labeling. In order to achieve a high level of consumer health protection, to guarantee their rights to obtain reliable information, to enable them to make a conscious choice of safe products for them, energy drink manufacturers should inform consumers about their products and the need to comply with the recommended consumption of these drinks. Key Words: energy drinks, caffeine, safety, risks, marking.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuella Yayra Saku ◽  
Peter Nuro-Ameyaw ◽  
Priscilla Cecilia Amenya ◽  
Fidelis Mawunyo Kpodo ◽  
Paul Esua Amoafo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Consumption of energy drinks has become an escalating global public health problem. The work schedule and irregular sleeping habits of commercial bus drivers make them highly susceptible to getting fatigued, hence most of them consume energy drinks as a fatigue management strategy. However, consumption of energy drinks produces numerous psychomotor side effects that if consumed among drivers puts the traveling public in danger of road accidents. This study sought to assess the prevalence of energy drink consumption and awareness of associated potential health problems among commercial long-distance bus drivers operating from the Ho municipality. Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 132 participants who completed a structured questionnaire on the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, frequency of consumption and reasons for consumption. It also included questions to assess the knowledge of the ingredients and side effects of energy drinks. Results A majority (62.1%) of the drivers had more than 10 years of commercial driving experience. A 75% energy drink consumption prevalence was recorded with driving performance enhancement (78.8%) as the predominant reason for consumption. 7 - 10 bottles per week were consumed by most (32.2%) of the drivers with the most consumed brand being Rush energy drink (54.5%). Also, 72.0% had poor knowledge of the side effects linked with energy drink intake likewise the ingredients in them. Conclusion Energy drinks were consumed by the majority of the drivers at the Ho main bus terminal of which most of the drivers had poor knowledge of the potential health problems linked with the consumption of these drinks. The consumption of energy drinks was observed to be higher among the drivers with lower education levels, higher monthly income and those who worked long hours in a day. The Ghana National Road Safety Commission (GNRC) in collaboration with other private road transport unions in Ghana should organize regular seminars for commercial bus drivers on the potential dangers and effects associated with energy drink consumption.


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