Abstract

PINTO, Marta Laranjeiro  and  BALTAZAR, Ana Lúcia. Comparative study of the nutritional value of the flavored waters commercialized in Portugal. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2020, n.21, pp.6-9. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2020.2102.

Introduction: In the last years, there has been an increase in both the flavored waters available in Portugal and in their consumption. Objectives: Compare the composition and the nutritional value of flavored waters produced by five different brands. Methodology: Websites from various hypermarkets and specific companies were consulted to access the information regarding ingredients and nutritional value of the analyzed flavored waters. Results: In general, the percentage of water from different brands varies between 82 and 98%, which is related to the amount of juice used, which goes from 0 to 12%. Besides these two ingredients, flavored waters have many food additives, like citric acid, present in all waters, sweeteners (nutritive or non-nutritive) and preservatives. These different compositions have an impact on their nutritional value. The main differences are related to the energy density, which varies between 4 and 26 Kcal/100 mL, and sugars, which vary between 0 and 5.3 g/100 mL. Moreover, some waters have a considerable amount of salt, up to 0.17 g/100 mL. Conclusions: Despite being perceived as an excellent alternative, flavored waters are, in fact, sodas that have many food additives in their composition. Moreover, their consumption may contribute to a significant increase in the daily intake of calories and sugar. For these reasons, flavored waters should be consumed occasionally and never as a substitute for water.

Keywords : Food additives; Processed food; Hydration; Soda.

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