我國手搖飲料中非營養性甜味劑之膳食風險評估

Abstract

近十年來，手搖飲料在臺灣的消費市場有著顯著的成長，各式手搖飲料品牌如雨後春筍般成立，在高度競爭的市場生態下，各品牌也積極推出創新且具特色的飲品品項，也使得臺灣被譽為「手搖飲料王國」。手搖飲料因口味多變、多元的配料選擇及客製化的甜度，深受各年齡層消費者喜愛，逐漸成為國人日常飲食中不可或缺的一環。隨著現今健康飲食觀念的盛行與減重需求的提升，消費者對糖類攝取的關注日益增加，低碳飲食也逐漸成為了趨勢。而因應這個趨勢，具備高甜度且低熱量等特性的人工甜味劑，也因而被廣泛應用於食品製造中，同時飲料製造業也不例外。手搖飲料常見的配料如珍珠、椰果、布丁與糖漿等原料，亦可能存在人工甜味劑，因此藉由手搖飲料攝取到甜味劑為潛在的暴露途徑。然而，目前針對人工甜味劑對健康影響，在國際間尚未有一致定論。同時，世界衛生組織亦於2023年指出，長期使用非營養性甜味劑對於減輕體重沒有幫助，且可能提升有關第二型糖尿病、心血管疾病等疾病的風險，也不建議使用非營養性甜味劑作為減重期間攝取甜味的替代來源。因此，定期針對人工甜味劑暴露情形進行監測與風險評估，在公共衛生上對於國人的健康具有重要意義。本研究以極致液相層析串聯三段四極柱質譜儀建立常見人工甜味劑的分析方法，並系統性的檢測市售手搖飲料人工甜味劑種類與濃度，同時也藉由問卷調查蒐集國人手搖飲料消費行為資料，並將其整合進行國人手搖飲料中非營養性甜味劑之膳食風險評估。研究結果顯示，市售手搖飲料中人工甜味劑的總體檢出率為13.8%，其中以果汁及果茶類產品之檢出率最高，而在檢出樣品中，以蔗糖素的使用頻率最高。問卷調查方面，全體研究參與者每週手搖飲料攝取量平均為3.3杯，而高攝取族群（第95百分位）則高達8.8杯。綜合分析檢測結果與消費行為資料後進行膳食風險評估，結果顯示整體族群人工甜味劑的危害指標(Hazard Index, HI)在最低攝入估計模式及最高攝入估計模式情境下最大值分別為6.2%與7.5%，顯示目前國人透過手搖飲料攝取人工甜味劑之整體健康風險相對較低。然而，本研究僅針對單一飲食來源進行評估，潛在風險可能遭低估，建議後續研究應納入其他常見食品來源進行更全面的暴露評估。本研究成功建立手搖飲料中人工甜味劑之含量資料與分析方法，亦補足國人手搖飲料攝食行為的資料，進一步建立一套適用於非營養性甜味劑膳食風險評估模型，可作為未來針對其他食品類別進行風險評估之參考依據，亦可提供主管機關在人工甜味劑管理策略與政策制定上的重要科學依據。

In the past decade, Taiwan's hand-shaken beverage market has experienced significant growth, with numerous brands emerging rapidly. The highly competitive environment has driven businesses to continuously launch innovative and distinctive products, earning Taiwan the title of the “Kingdom of Hand-Shaken Beverages.” Due to the diverse flavors, variety of toppings, and customizable sweetness levels, hand-shaken beverages have become popular among all age groups and have gradually become a part of the Taiwanese diet. In recent years, with the rising popularity of healthy eating and the growing demand for weight management, public concern about sugar consumption has increased, and low-carb diets have become a new trend. Therefore, with characteristics of high-sweetness and low-calorie, artificial sweeteners have been widely used in the food industry, and beverage manufacturers are no exception. Common ingredients in hand-shaken beverages, such as bubbles, coconut jellies, puddings, and syrups, may also contain artificial sweeteners. The consumption of these sugar substitutes through such beverages is possible, yet unknown. However, there are still no conclusive results on the health impacts of artificial sweeteners. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that long-term use of non-nutritive sweeteners does not contribute to weight loss and may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. As a result, WHO recommends against using non-nutritive sweeteners as sugar substitutes for weight management. Continuously assessing the exposure and the risks of artificial sweeteners in the Taiwanese population is therefore an urgent need for public health. Therefore, this study established an analytical method using ultra-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS) to detect frequently used artificial sweeteners, systematically investigated the concentrations of each type of sweetener in hand-shaken beverages and conducted a questionnaire to collect the consumption behavior of Taiwanese people. Finally, these datasets were integrated to carry out a dietary risk assessment of non-nutritive sweeteners from hand-shaken beverage consumption in Taiwan. The results showed that the overall detection rate of artificial sweeteners in hand-shaken beverages was 13.8%, with the highest detection rate observed in fruit juice and fruit tea categories. Among the sweeteners detected, sucralose was the most frequently used. Based on the questionnaire, the weekly consumption of hand-shaken beverages in the general population was 3.3 cups on average, while the high-consumption group (95th percentile) reached 8.8 cups per week. Combining analytical data and consumption patterns, dietary risk assessment indicated that the maximum Hazard Index (HI) values under lower and upper bound scenarios were 6.2% and 7.5%, respectively, suggesting that the current health risk from artificial sweetener exposure through hand-shaken beverages is relatively low. However, as this study only assessed a single dietary source, the total risk may be underestimated. Therefore, further research should incorporate other common food sources for a more comprehensive exposure assessment. This study successfully established a database and analytical method for detecting artificial sweeteners in hand-shaken beverages, filled the data gap on consumption behavior in the Taiwanese population, and further developed a risk assessment model for non-nutritive sweeteners in hand-shaken beverage exposure. These findings can serve as a reference for other risk assessments across different food categories and provide scientific evidence to support policymaking and regulatory strategies concerning artificial sweeteners.