If you're in England, Ireland, or
Australia anytime soon you want to try the newest frozen drinks to hit the market...or
maybe not. They're called Alcopops. They're frozen, alcoholic drinks being
sold in those countries. So they've got alcohol in them, well that's not the
news. It's the type of alcohol being found in these fruity drinks that's a bit of a
surprise.....isopropanol!
Typically, "alcohol" in the beverage industry refers to
ethanol or ethyl alcohol. However, two German medical experts have found isopropanol
in several of the flavored drinks. Before you call poison control, it should be
noted that the amount of isopropanol being found is really not dangerous...just expect an
even more painful headache in the morning! Isopropanol is broken down quickly by the
liver like its counterpart ethanol. The real question is how did it get into the
drinks?
Isopropanol is best known as an industrial solvent, or a substance used
to remove another substance from its original place. For example, supercritical
(liquid) carbon dioxide is used to remove caffeine from coffee beans. Carbon dioxide
acts as the solvent and carries the caffeine away from the beans. In this case,
isopropanol was being used as a solvent to remove the valuable fruit flavors from raw
fruit. This flavoring is then added to the Alcopops.
Separating the flavorings from the isopropanol is an expensive process. High
temperatures typical of conventional distillation can break down the flavorings and alter
the way they taste. Typically, more expensive routes of separation must be employed.
The higher the purity of the flavorings, the higher the cost. So, since it's
not lethal, I guess the manufacturers decided to leave more of it in the flavorings.
It's your call. Are the manufacturers being savvy in that they chose a solvent that
doesn't have to be completely removed? Or is it just carelessness on their part?
Keep in mind that if they elect to remove more of the isopropanol, the cost of your
next Alcopop will certainly be higher. You may just want to take an aspirin before
you go to bed!
