Evaluation of Sugar, HMF, pH, and Acidity Content in Some Popular Soft Drinks Sold in Turkey

Consumption of soft drinks has been increasing last decades especially amongst children worldwide due to the taste and their relatively cheap prices. It is well-known that high consumption of sugary drinks cause negative effects on human health. It is due to the fact some governments took actions as introducing ‘sugar tax’ on beverages recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) aimed to reduce consumption of sugary drinks. This study aims to determine sugar, HMF, pH, and titratable acidity values of soft drinks (n = 25) including fruit (n = 10) and vegetable (n = 1) juices, sodas (n = 4), iced teas (n = 3), energy drinks (n = 3), cokes (n = 2), iced coffee (n = 1), and malt drink (n = 1). All the samples were purchased from chain supermarkets in city of Bingöl, Turkey. HPLC-RID and HPLC-DAD were used to determine sugar profile (glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose) and HMF content of the samples respectively. Results showed that total sugar and HMF contents of the samples were found to be ranged from 0.23 to 13.85% and from 0.65 to 27.76 mg/L respectively. In 9 out of 25 samples HMF were not detected. Furthermore, pH and acidity values of the samples were found to be varied from 1.96 to 6.34 and from 0.73 to 22.07 mEq/L, respectively. The samples were then classified based on their total sugar content (from sugar free to very high sugar) and pH erosive capacity (from minimally erosive to extremely erosive).