Vitamins and minerals
The need for a sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals is
present throughout life. They help maintain a healthy body and
fight diseases and also are essential to the smooth functioning of
the body.
Vitamins
In general, any soft drink which contains a quantity of fruit
juice as an ingredient will contain some amount of vitamins.
However, it is becoming increasingly popular for manufacturers to
add a variety of vitamins to any soft drink product. These are
usually referred to as fortified drinks.
Vitamins play a vital role in many metabolic pathways. Vitamin
C, which is found in citrus fruit juices and at varying levels in
other fruit juices, is an important contributor to maintaining
healthy cellular activity which therefore can guide against
infections. It is also essential for the structure of bones,
cartilage, muscle and blood vessels, and maintenance of capillaries
and gums and the absorption of iron.
Minerals
Metals
in a soluble form are usually referred to as mineral salts and are
very important building blocks needed in the renewal of tissues
such as blood and bone. Soft drinks contain a range of minerals as
a result of the ingredients used in their manufacture. Sodium,
calcium and magnesium come mainly from the major ingredient -
water. Low levels of potassium and phosphate will also be present
if any fruit materials are contained in the drink.
Bottled waters are a good source of minerals. Natural mineral
water and spring water, for example, will contain a wide variety of
minerals which it picks up from the geological structure of the
bedrock from which it emerges. Its mineral composition is also
dependent on the length of time the water circulates in underground
formations.
Each underground source of water, therefore, produces a
distinctive product with unique properties such as mineral
composition and flavour. For example, waters which flow through
chalk will contain calcium, those containing magnesium will have a
slightly bitter taste whilst those containing sodium might taste
salty.
Table waters on the other hand are different in that they may be
blended from more than one underground source. Companies usually
treat the water by filtration and other treatments, which may
remove some or all of the minerals already present so some table
water producers add mineral salts to the final
product.