Levels of Monosodium Glutamate and Aspartame in Selected Wines, Spirits and Beers in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Food additives are non-nutritive compounds included in foods during manufacturing or packaging. When added, they maintain or better the quality of the foods. Aspartame, propylene glycol and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are some food additives that may be present in alcoholic beverages. Monosodium glutamate can cause obesity, eye damage, headaches, depression and rapid heartbeat while aspartame can cause brain tumor, chronic fatigue and emotional disorders. Consequently, a constant check on amounts of additives in food is of essence. It was the aim of this research to assess the amounts of MSG and aspartame in beers, spirits and wines sold in Nairobi County. Sixtysix samples comprising of nine brands of wine, five brands of spirit and eight brands of beers were purchased from selected supermarkets; K, L, M and N in Nairobi city center. Aspartame and monosodium glutamate were derived out of beers, spirits and wine using water. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was then used to analyse them. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data. The range of average amounts of MSG was 6.23-10.47 mg/L in beers, 13.11-70.02 mg/L in wines and 28.32 mg/L in spirits. Only one brand of spirit, S2, had detectable levels of MSG. The MSG levels detected were all within the permissible levels of 300 mg/L. The range of mean levels of aspartame was 2.41-20.88 mg/L in beers, 7.20-24.32 mg/L in wines and 67.23-213.56 mg/L in spirits. The levels of MSG and aspartame between the brands of beers, wines and spirits differed significantly. The finding of this research depicts that the amounts of MSG and aspartame in beers, wines and spirits are within the recommended levels. The findings will be used to educate the masses on the amounts of MSG and aspartame in alcoholic beverages and be presented to KEBS and other regulatory bodies.