IN BRAZIL, 35% OF JUICES AND 61% OF NECTAR SAMPLES DO NOT DECLAIRE THE SUGAR CONTENT IN THE NUTRITIONAL TABLE

Abstract

Sugar is a source of energy in the human diet belonging to the class of carbohydrates. Table sugar is added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook or consumer. Sugary drinks such as nectars and industrialized juices are the main consumer products with sugar in the Brazilian diet. However, frequent consumption of these drinks is associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The objective of this project is to analyze the sugar content of sugary drinks such as nectar and industrialized juices sold in Brazil. Sugary beverage products were coded and classified according to the main ingredient and beverage categories such as: nectars and industrialized juices from brands available on the Pão de Açúcar online supermarket website. We identified 92 samples for data analysis. The sugar content found in the nutrition label list was verified. The amount of sugar in g/serving and the energy value in kcal/serving were computed. Values ​​per serving were converted to 200 mL and 100 mL to facilitate comparison between products and between different brands. The sugar content in the sugary drink sold in Brazil is high with an average of 17.9 g/200mL or 8.6 g/100mL for juices and 19.7 g/200mL or 9.8 g/100mL for nectars. More than 18% of the products surveyed contained more than 25g of sugar, the suggested maximum daily amount. Grape juice had the highest sugar content, while passion fruit juice had the lowest. For non-caloric drinks labeled sugar-free, artificial sweeteners were added.