[Determination of carbohydrate content in soft drinks. Methodological aspects and results of research using various...

An important component of the programs to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and other chronic noncommunicable diseases is limiting the intake of added sugars. Information about the composition of the product and its nutritional value contained in the labeling contributes to the informed choice of consumers when forming a diet. On July 1, 2023, new provisions of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation came into force, providing for the imposition of an excise tax on "sugar-containing drinks" - soft drinks made with added sugar and containing carbohydrates in quantities of more than 5 g/100 ml. The stated goal of the new excise regulation is to reduce sugar consumption by the population. Currently, information on the carbohydrate content in soft drinks is provided by manufacturers based on calculated values according to the recipe, which makes it possible to take into account as much as possible all the carbohydrate components of the product. There is no standardized method for analytically assessing the carbohydrate content of soft drinks (including "sugar-sweetened beverages" for excise tax purposes). The purpose of the work was the comparative analysis of existing analytical methods for determining the content of sugars and carbohydrates in general in foods, including beverages; and determination of the most correct analytical approach to assessing the content of carbohydrates in soft drinks. Material and methods. The existing methods for determining sugars and carbohydrates in foods, including beverages, have been analyzed. The objects of research were samples of model aqueous solutions with different sugar concentrations (30 samples) and 17 samples of industrially produced soft drinks (including tonic and tonic energy drinks) made using sugar or sugars (glucose-fructose syrup), sweeteners, and a mixture of sugar and sweeteners. The total content of sugars/carbohydrates in beverages was determined: in accordance with MU 10-05031531-372-93 as the difference between the total dry matter content and the dry matter from acids; by the Bertrand method; by the Bertrand-Schorl method. The obtained values were compared with the calculated data specified in the labeling of consumer packaging of the products. Results. The determination of sugars in model solutions showed sufficient accuracy of the Bertrand-Schorl method: deviations of the obtained values from the amount of sugars added to the model solution were observed only at their high concentration (over 10 g/100 ml) and amounted to ±0.1 g/100 ml. The carbohydrate content in industrial soft drinks estimated by various methods differed slightly from that indicated in the labeling (obtained by calculation). The differences were at the level from - 0.2 to +0.4 g/100 ml when using the method from MU 10-05031531-372-93, at the level from -2.6 to +0.8 g/100 ml when using the Bertrand method and at the level from -2.7 to +0.1 g/100 ml when using the Bertrand-Schorl method. The greatest differences were observed for tonic drinks (including energy drinks) - from -2.7 to +0.3 g /100 ml, depending on the method. Conclusion. The research data showed that the Bertrand-Schorl method can be used as a basis for developing a state standard for determining the total sugar content in soft drinks and for assessing their carbohydrate content in general. At the same time, the method needs to be refined for tonic drinks. At present, the most acceptable method is to assess the carbohydrate content using the analytical method given in MU 10-05031531-372-93, but it should be taken into account that deviations from the carbohydrate content values determined by this method from the values obtained by calculation can be up to +10%. At the same time, the calculation method for determining the carbohydrate content in drinks remains a priority, including for the purposes of excise regulation.