Millennial drinks: acidity, fluoride content, and enamel softening.

This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the acidity and fluoride content of beverages commonly consumed by millennials and the enamel-softening effect of these drinks on tooth enamel. The study included 13 beverages in 4 categories: energy (sports) drink, flavored sparkling water, kombucha, and other (an unsweetened iced tea, a vegetable-fruit juice blend, and a soft drink). The acidity was measured with a pH/ion meter, and the fluoride concentration was measured with a combined fluoride electrode coupled to the meter (n = 10 measurements per beverage). The Vickers hardness number of extracted molars was measured before and after a 30-minute immersion in 4 representative beverages via 2 immersion protocols (n = 10 per beverage per protocol): (1) immersion in the beverage only and (2) immersion alternating between the beverage and artificial saliva every other minute. The pH and fluoride concentrations of the beverages ranged from 2.652 to 4.242 and from 0.0033 to 0.6045 ppm, respectively. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that all differences between beverages in pH values were statistically significant, as were the majority of differences in fluoride concentrations (P < 0.001). The beverages and the 2 immersion methods significantly affected enamel softening (2-way ANOVA, P = 0.0001 to 0.033). The representative energy drink (pH 2.990; 0.0102 ppm fluoride) caused the greatest enamel softening followed by the representative kombucha (pH 2.820; 0.2036 ppm fluoride). The representative flavored sparkling water (pH 4.066; 0.0098 ppm fluoride) caused significantly less enamel softening than the energy drink and kombucha. A root beer (pH 4.185; 0.6045 ppm fluoride) had the least enamel softening effect. All tested beverages were acidic and had a pH below 4.5; only some contained fluoride. Flavored sparkling water, likely due to its higher pH, caused less enamel softening than the tested energy drink and kombucha. The fluoride content of kombucha and root beer lower their enamel-softening effects. It is imperative that consumers be aware of the erosive potential of beverages they consume.

Bacillus subtilis: As an Efficient Bacterial Strain for the Reclamation of Water Loaded with Textile Azo Dye, Orange II.

The azo dye orange II is used extensively in the textile sector for coloring fabrics. High concentrations of it are released into aqueous environments through textile effluents. Therefore, its removal from textile wastewater and effluents is necessary. Herein, initially, we tested 11 bacterial strains for their capabilities in the degradation of orange II dye. It was revealed in the preliminary data that B. subtilis can more potently degrade the selected dye, which was thus used in the subsequent experiments. To achieve maximum decolorization, the experimental conditions were optimized whereby maximum degradation was achieved at: a 25 ppm dye concentration, pH 7, a temperature of 35 °C, a 1000 mg/L concentration of glucose, a 1000 mg/L urea concentration, a 666.66 mg/L NaCl concentration, an incubation period of 3 days, and with hydroquinone as a redox mediator at a concentration of 66.66 mg/L. The effects of the interaction of the operational factors were further confirmed using response surface methodology, which revealed that at optimum conditions of pH 6.45, a dye concentration of 17.07 mg/L, and an incubation time of 9.96 h at 45.38 °C, the maximum degradation of orange II can be obtained at a desirability coefficient of 1, estimated using the central composite design (CCD). To understand the underlying principles of degradation of the metabolites in the aliquot mixture at the optimized condition, the study steps were extracted and analyzed using GC-MS(Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry), FTIR(Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), 1H and carbon 13 NMR(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy). The GC-MS pattern revealed that the original dye was degraded into o-xylene and naphthalene. Naphthalene was even obtained in a pure state through silica gel column isolation and confirmed using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis. Phytotoxicity tests on Vigna radiata were also conducted and the results confirmed that the dye metabolites were less toxic than the parent dye. These results emphasize that B. subtilis should be used as a potential strain for the bioremediation of textile effluents containing orange II and other toxic azo dyes.

Ethanol as a Probe for the Mechanism of Bubble Nucleation in the Diet Coke and Mentos Experiment.

The Diet Coke and Mentos experiment involves dropping Mentos candies into carbonated beverages to produce a fountain. This simple experiment has enjoyed popularity with science teachers and the general public. Studies of the physicochemical processes involved in the generation of the fountain have been largely informed by the physics of bubble nucleation. Herein, we probe the effect of ethanol addition on the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment to explore the impact that beverage surface tension and viscosity have on the heights of fountains achieved. Our results indicate that current descriptions of the effects of surface tension and viscosity are not completely understood. We also extend and apply a previously reported, simplified version of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory to investigate kinetic and mechanistic aspects of bubble nucleation on the surface of Mentos candies in carbonated beverages. A combination of this new theory and experiment allows for the estimation that the nucleation sites on the Mentos candy that catalyze degassing are 1-3 µm in size, and that between 50,000 and 300,000 of these sites actively nucleate bubbles on a single Mentos candy. While the methods employed are not highly sophisticated, they have potential to stimulate fresh investigations and insights into bubble nucleation in carbonated beverages.

The long-term effect of sparkling flavored water on human tooth enamel determined by gravimetric analysis: a preliminary evaluation / O efeito a longo prazo da água aromatizada com gás no esmalte dental humano determinado por análise gravimétrica: uma avaliação preliminar

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito in vitro de águas aromatizadas no esmalte dental humano utilizando um método gravimétrico. Material e Métodos: As superfícies linguais dos molares inferiores foram utilizadas para obter amostras de esmalte. O esmalte (n = 3) foi lavado, seco, e posteriormente imerso em 6 diferentes águas aromatizadas com gás disponíveis na região, e avaliado periodicamente por até 9 dias através de análise gravimétrica. Além disso, as medições de pH das águas aromatizadas foram registradas. Resultados: Todas as águas aromatizadas testadas apresentaram valores de pH abaixo do pH crítico. Os testes t pareados demonstraram reduções significativas na massa média do grupo para todas as amostras de esmalte desde o primeiro dia após a imersão em água com sabor, em comparação com as medições de referência. Reduções adicionais na massa média continuaram até o nono dia de imersão. Conclusão: As águas aromatizadas são potencialmente erosivas para as amostras de esmalte humano, sendo o efeito erosivo cumulativo ao longo do tempo. (AU)

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro effect of flavored waters on human tooth enamel using a gravimetric method. Lingual surfaces of lower molars were used to obtain enamel specimens. Material and Methods: Enamel (n=3) was washed and dried, immersed in 6 flavors of locally available flavored sparkling water and assessed using gravimetric analysis, periodically for up to 9 days. Additionally, pH measurements of the flavored waters were recorded. Results: All the tested flavored waters showed pH values below that of critical pH. Paired t-tests demonstrated significant reductions in the mean group mass for all enamel specimens from as early as day 1 after immersion in flavored water, compared to baseline measurements. Further reductions in mean mass continued up to day 9 of immersion. Conclusion: Flavored waters are potentially erosive to human enamel specimens with the erosive effect being cumulative over time. (AU)

Carbon Dioxide in Bottled Carbonated Waters and Subsequent Bubble Nucleation under Standard Tasting Condition.

Experimental and theoretical developments, including gas-liquid thermodynamics and bubble nucleation, were made relevant to the conditioning and service of three various commercial carbonated bottled waters holding different levels of dissolved carbon dioxide comprised between about 3 g L-1 and 7 g L-1. The strong dependence in temperature of the partial pressure of gas-phase CO2 found within the three batches of bottled carbonated waters was determined. Moreover, in a glass of carbonated water, the process by which the diffusion of dissolved CO2 in tiny immersed gas pockets enabled heterogeneous bubble nucleation was formalized, including every pertinent parameter at play. From this assessment, the minimum level of dissolved CO2 below which bubble nucleation becomes thermodynamically impossible was determined and found to strongly decrease by increasing the water temperature and size of the gas pockets acting as bubble nucleation sites. Accordingly, the total number of bubbles likely to form in a single glass of sparkling water was theoretically derived to decipher the role played by various key parameters. Most interestingly, for a given level of dissolved CO2, the theoretical number of bubbles likely to form in a glass was found to increase by increasing the water temperature.

Dopamine integrated B, N, S doped CQD nanoprobe for rapid and selective detection of fluoride ion.

A simple fluorescence turn on sensor for the detection of fluoride ion in totally aqueous medium has been developed by integrating boronic acid functionalized carbon quantum dot (BNSCQD) and dopamine. The intense emission of BNSCQD is quenched due to photoelectron transfer (PET) from BNSCQD to dopamine. A remarkable enhancement of emission intensity in presence of F- is achieved due to high reactivity of F- towards boron centre of the BNSCQD-dopamine complex and hence restricting PET between BNSCQD and dopamine. The LOD of our sensor is 0.7 pM. The sensor is not cytotoxic and could be utilised to trace fluoride level changes in human serum as well as in living cells.

Influence of mouthwashes on extended exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) analysis.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is used to assess eosinophilic inflammation of the airways. FENO values are influenced by the expiratory flow rate and orally produced NO. We measured FENO at four different expiratory flow levels after two different mouthwashes: tap water and carbonated water. Further, we compared the alveolar NO concentration (CANO), maximum airway NO flux (J'awNO) and airway NO diffusion (DawNO) after these two mouthwashes. FENO was measured in 30 volunteers (healthy or asthmatic) with a chemiluminescence NO-analyser at flow rates of 30, 50, 100 and 300 mL/s. A mouthwash was performed before the measurement at every flow rate. The carbonated water mouthwash significantly reduced FENO compared to the tap water mouthwash at all expiratory flows: 50 mL/s (p < .001), 30 mL/s (p = .001), 100 mL/s (p < .001) and 300 mL/s (p = .004). J'awNO was also significantly reduced (p = .017), however, there were no significant differences in CANO and DawNO. In conclusion, a carbonated water mouthwash can significantly reduce oropharyngeal NO compared to a tap water mouthwash at expiratory flows of 30-300 mL/s without affecting the CANO and DawNO. Therefore, mouthwashes need to be taken into account when comparing FENO results.

Reduction of FENO by tap water and carbonated water mouthwashes: magnitude and time course.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) assesses eosinophilic inflammation of the airways, but FENO values are also influenced by oral nitric oxide (NO). The aim of this pilot study was to measure FENO and compare the effect of two different mouthwashes on FENO and analyse the duration of the effect. FENO was measured in 12 randomized volunteers (healthy or asthmatic subjects) with a NIOX VERO® analyser at an expiratory flow rate of 50 mL/s. After a baseline measurement, a mouthwash was performed either with tap water or carbonated water and was measured during 20 min in 2 min intervals. The procedure was repeated with the other mouthwash. We found that both mouthwashes reduced FENO immediately at the beginning compared to the baseline (p < .001). The carbonated water mouthwash effect lasted 12 min (p ranging from <0.001 to <0.05). The tap water mouthwash reduced FENO statistically significantly only for 2 min compared with the baseline. We conclude that a single carbonated water mouthwash can significantly reduce the oropharyngeal NO contribution during a 12 min time interval.

Identifying method validation and measurement uncertainty of brominated vegetable oil in soft drinks and carbonated waters commonly consumed in South Korea.

This study investigated a method for validating and determining the measurement uncertainty for the composition of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in soft drinks and carbonated waters commonly consumed in South Korea. First, we studied a simple and precise qualitative colorimetric method at the maximum residues level 15 ppm. And an analytical method using ion chromatography (IC) was validated and identified with brominated fatty acids by gas chromatography electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS). The measurement uncertainty was evaluated based on the precisional study and confirmed by the preliminary inter-laboratory study. For IC analysis, the recovery range of BVO was from 97.8% to 107.2% with relative standard deviations between 0.18% and 0.69%. In addition, the expanded uncertainty of the BVO was 1.59. These results indicate that the validated method is appropriate for identifying of BVO and can be used to verify the safety of soft drinks or carbonated waters containing BVO residues.

Panel performance monitoring by Poincaré plot: A case study on flavoured bottled waters.

The application of the Poincaré method is discussed on the field of sensory panel performance monitoring. The Poincaré plot evaluates and visualizes the difference from the consensus for each panelist even for one product and for one attribute. Sensory tests were carried out on 5 commercially available brands of pear-lemon and josta flavoured bottled waters. Several sensory parameters were assessed and a complex dissimilarity index was calculated. Based on this index the attributes and panelists can be ranked highlighting the attribute which was the hardest to evaluate and the most consistent panel member. Our method has been compared to the other methods using the sum of ranking difference method and cross-validated by leave-one-out technique. Regarding both the ranking of the panelists and the ranking of the attributes significant differences were found between the Poincaré method and the traditional techniques since the sum of ranking difference was greater than the critical value of 39 and 79 at 5%, respectively. Only the Poincaré method was able to indicate sweet flavour as the easiest attribute to evaluate. Free R code is available to carry out the calculations and apply this method.

A Novel Fluorimetric Bulk Optode Membrane Based on NOS Tridentate Schiff Base for Selective Optical Sensing of Al3+ Ions.

A novel fluorimetric optode has been developed for the highly selective and sensitive for the determination of ultra trace amounts of Al3+ ions. The proposed fluorescent optode is based on the incorporation of a simple and effective fluorescent sensor tridentate NOS Schiff base N-(2-hydroxynaphthylidene)-2-aminothiophenol (H2L) in a plasticized PVC containing KTpClPB as a lipophilic anionic additive. H2L was synthesized by a facile one-step Schiff base reaction. The plasticized PVC-membrane displays a calibration response for Al3+ ions over a wide concentration range from 1.0 × 10-9 to 4.4 × 10-3 mol/L. The fluorescence signal of the optode membrane can be easily recovered by immersion in 0.01 M EDTA. In addition to high stability and reproducibility, the sensor shows a unique selectivity towards Al3+ ion with respect to common co-existing cations, particularly Ga3+and In3+. The proposed optode was applied successfully for determination of Al3+ in some real samples, including bottled drinking waters, bottled mineral waters and soft drinks.

Investigation of overfoaming activities and gushing mechanisms of individual beer ingredients as model substances in bottled carbonated water.

BACKGROUND: Researchers in several disciplines are interested in understanding the spontaneous and eruptive overfoaming (gushing) of carbonated beverages, as it is an essential problem of both the brewing and beverage industries. In order to understand the mechanism(s) taking place in gushing beer, several beer ingredients have been investigated as model substances in a much simpler matrix of carbonated water. For this purpose, sinapic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid and palmitic acid have been chosen as model beer ingredients. RESULTS: Gushing formation of the investigated beer ingredients depends on the degree of stabilized solvated molecular carbon dioxide in water. For this purpose, functional groups capable of forming hydrogen bonds with electronegative oxygen atoms of carbon dioxide are needed. However, the solubility of the substances plays an important role in the abundance of these functional groups in undissociated form to interact with molecular carbon dioxide. CONCLUSION: The reported data provide valuable insights into the gushing problem and help to understand its formation pathways. Each gushing-positive substance has an individual mechanism related to its structural conformation and solubility level. Therefore possible gushing mechanisms have been proposed with respect to the structural changes in model substances to clarify the differences in observed overfoaming and gushing stability levels.

Study on the leaching of phthalates from polyethylene terephthalate bottles into mineral water.

Carbonated and non-carbonated mineral water samples bottled in 0.5-L, 1.5-L and 2.0-L polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers belonging to three different water brands commercialized in Hungary were studied in order to determine their phthalate content by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Among the six investigated phthalates, diisobutyl phthalate, di-n-butyl-phthalate, benzyl-butyl phthalate and di(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were determined in non-carbonated samples as follows: <3.0 ng L(-1)-0.2 µg L(-1), <6.6 ng L(-1)-0.8 µg L(-1), <6.0 ng L(-1)-0.1 µg L(-1) and <16.0 ng L(-1)-1.7 µg L(-1), respectively. Any of the above-mentioned phthalate esters could be detected in carbonated mineral water samples. DEHP was the most abundant phthalate in the investigated samples. It could be detected after 44 days of storage at 22 °C and its leaching was the most pronounced when samples were stored over 1200 days. Mineral water purchased in PET bottles of 0.5L had the highest phthalate concentrations compared to those obtained for waters of the identical brand bottled in 1.5-L or 2.0-L PET containers due to the higher surface/volume ratio. No clear trend could be established for phthalate leaching when water samples were kept at higher temperatures (max. 60 °C) showing improper storage conditions. Phthalate determination by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometric measurements in the plastic material as well as in the aqueous phase proved the importance of the quality of PET raw material used for the production of the pre-form (virgin vs. polymer containing recycled PET).

[The influence of carbon dioxide baths differing in the total mineralization levels on the functional state of the cardiovascular system of the patients presenting with hypertensive disease associated with coronary heart disease].

The results of the study on the influence of carbon dioxide baths differing in the total mineralization levels on the clinical course of hypertensive disease associated with coronary heart disease and on various functional systems of the body. The data obtained provide an insight into the role of salt concentrations (10 and 20 g/l) in carbon dioxide bath water (1.2 g/l) applied for the traditional treatment of the patients with hypertensive disease associated with concomitant coronary heart disease and musculoskeletal pathology. Highly mineralized bath water has a greater influence on the functional state of the cardiovascular system by causing a more pronounced decrease in peripheral vascular resistance and hypotensive effect. Baths with a salt concentration of 20 g/l markedly reduced pain and had anti-inflammatory effect in the patients with pathology of support and locomotor organs.

Examining the role of carbonation and temperature on water swallowing performance: a swallowing reaction-time study.

Various therapeutic approaches for dysphagia management are based on modifications of bolus properties to change swallowing biomechanics and increase swallowing safety. Limited evidence exists for the effects of carbonation and bolus temperature on swallowing behavior. Here, we investigated the effects of carbonation and temperature on swallowing behavior using a novel automated and complex swallowing reaction time task via pressure signal recordings in the hypopharynx. Healthy participants (n = 39, 27.7±5 years old) were randomized in two different experiments and asked to perform 10 normal-paced swallows, 10 fast-paced swallows, and 10 challenged swallows within a predetermined time-window of carbonated versus still water (experiment 1) and of cold (4 °C) versus hot (45 °C) versus room temperature (21 °C) water (experiment 2). Quantitative measurements of latencies and percentage of successful challenged swallows were collected and analyzed nonparametrically. An increase in successfully performed challenged swallowing task was observed with carbonated water versus still water (P = 0.021), whereas only cold water shortened the latencies of normally paced swallows compared with room (P = 0.001) and hot (P = 0.004) temperatures. Therefore, it appears that chemothermal stimulation with carbonation and cold are most effective at modulating water swallowing, which in part is likely to be driven by central swallowing afferent activity.

Recomendaciones para una hidratación saludable / Recommendations for a healthy hydration

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