39th Annual Student Research Conference
Caffeine in Energy Drinks: Actual vs. Advertised.
Kara M. Sargent*, Amber N. Berhorst, and Marlayna R. Little
Dr. Barbara Kramer, Faculty Mentor
Energy drinks are growing in popularity especially among college students due to their caffeine content, which promotes alertness and wakefulness. This study evaluates whether the labeled concentration in commercial energy drinks match their actual values. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantify caffeine in three beverages (Red Bull, Celsius, and Alani). Samples were degassed, filtered, and diluted to fall within the calibrated range. A series of caffeine standards (4.00-40.00ug/mL) was prepared to generate a calibration curve based on peak area. Each sample was analyzed in triplicate, and caffeine concentrations were determined using the regression equation. Statistical analyses, including percent error, relative standard deviation, and t-tests, were used to compare measured values to labeled claims. Method performance was further evaluated through spike recovery and assessment of matrix effects. This approach provides insight into the accuracy of labeling and the reliability of HPLC for caffeine quantification.
Keywords: HPLC, instrumental chemistry, analytical chemistry, caffeine, energy drinks
Topic(s):Chemistry
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Session: -26
Location: Activities Room
Time: 2:30