Evaluation of the Effect of pH Variation on Soft Drinks in Nigeria 01 Nigerian Journal of Engineering Science Research (NIJESR). 1(1):pp.01-07 Copyright@ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar College of Engineering, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria. ISSN: 2636-7114 Journal homepage: http://nijesr.iuokada.edu.ng Evaluation of the Effect of pH Variation on Soft Drinks in Nigeria Hassan, A. Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Processing, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Nigeria *Corresponding author: Hassan, A., hassan_a@pti.edu.ng, +2347038470139 Keywords: Soft drinks, metal concentrations, pH, ions concentration, physiochemical properties INTRODUCTION A soft drink is a drink that typically contains carbonated water (although orange soda and lemonade, among others, are usually not carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural or artificial flavoring (Lösch, 2004).The sweetener may be sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, sugar substitute (in the case of diet drinks) or some combination of these (Shaw et al., 2004). Besides, soft drinks may also contain caffeine, colouring, preservatives, and other ingredients and other ingredients (Rubio et al., 2006). In Nigeria, soft drinks are one of the most consumed beverages (Agbazue et al., 2014). The consumption of soft drinks rate in Nigeria was at 159.85g/person/day in 2007 (Alais and Linden, 1999). Soft drinks exist in various forms and brands and are marketed by different brewery industries across Nigeria. It is consumed daily especially when undergoing tedious activities like hard work and sport. Also, with the relatively affordable prices, they are highly consumed during leisure and relaxation outings and serve the general public in celebrations such as traditional marriages, weddings, funerals, etc. The high consumption rate of soft drink is attributed to the characteristic taste and flavor as well as their thirst quenching potential (Khurdiya and Anand, 1981). These characteristics are defined by the constituents present such as sugar which is responsible for its sweetness, carbonated water which is water Abstract: The pH value of commonly consumed soft drinks (fanta, sprit, merinda, pepsi, etc.) in Nigeria was assessed based on their physiochemical properties (pH) variation and metal concentrations (Na, K, Mg, Mn, Pb, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn). The metal concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and pH using glass electrode pH– meter (Jenway 3020 pH meter). Soft drinks show increase in pH during storage for M1 is 6%, M2 and M5 is 4%, M3, M4, M6 and M7 is 3%. The change is same for M3, M4, M6 and M7 is 3% while for M2 and M5 is 4%, and totally different for M1 which was 6%. The variations in pH of the soft drinks showed the following trend: M2 > M7 > M5 > M1 > M3 > M4 and M6. This variation is due to the fact that the acidic pH of these drinks can cause hydrolysis of sugar upon storage, which can reduce their concentration. The range for Na, K, Mg, Mn, Pb, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn ions concentrations in all samples analyzed were 9.88 – 1473.50, 1.53 – 2656.20, 1.78 – 564.40, 0.01 – 4.15S, 0.03 – 0.41, 2.15 –123.85, 0.32 – 5.24, 0.005 – 3.720 and 0.008 – 1.83 mg/L respectively. Soft drinks were also good sources of Na, K, and Mg among their respective brands. Soft drinks were found to contain the highest level of Pb (0.41mg/L) among all the samples analyzed. Besides, all the samples contained low level of Cu 2+ ion. Therefore, soft drink consumption may constitute a major public health concern for heavy metal contamination in Nigeria and thus, there is need for regulatory bodies to monitor and control the quality of the soft drinks in order to ensure safe consumption and minimize the possible underlying risk. Manuscript History Received: 10-07-2018 Revised: 11-28-2018 Accepted: 12-16-2018 Published: 12-20-2018