PubMed · 6567233
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P Cervera. 1984. [Beverages].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6567233/
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BACKGROUND: Premix alcohol products (also known as ready-to-drink beverages) are a rapidly expanding alcohol category and frequently marketed using 'better for you' claims (e.g., 'Low sugar', 'Natural'). Little is known about the extent to which these products are ultra-processed or whether marketing claims align with ultra-processed status. This study aimed to address this evidence gap by auditing ingredient disclosure on premix products, assessing the ultra-processed status of these products, and determining the prevalence of 'better for you' claims with a particular focus on claims relating to ultra-processed status. METHODS: 534 premix alcohol products sold in major Australian retail outlets were assessed. Products were evaluated for compliance with mandatory ingredient disclosure, classified according to ultra-processed status based on the presence of indicators of ultra-processing (additives and other industrial ingredients), and analysed to determine the prevalence and types of 'better for you' marketing claims. RESULTS: Only 79% of assessed products displayed an ingredients list. Among compliant products, 98% contained at least one additive or ingredient indicative of ultra-processing, most commonly flavours, carbonating agents, colours, and sweeteners. One-third (33%) of products containing an ultra-processing indicator displayed a claim suggesting naturalness or minimal processing. Substantially higher proportions of ultra-processed products than non-ultra-processed products carried health-related claims. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Premix beverages available in Australia are overwhelmingly ultra-processed, yet many are marketed in ways that may mislead consumers about their composition and healthfulness. Stronger regulatory oversight of ingredient disclosure and marketing claims in this sector is urgently needed to support informed consumer decision-making.
One-hundred and twenty isolates of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ogi and three traditional cereal-based alcoholic beverages from Nigeria, together with 18 reference strains from Swedish sour doughs, and 50 type-and reference strains of mainly Lactobacillus, were phenotypically classified on their fermentation ability of 49 carbohydrates, including soluble starch. Data were examined by Jaccard Coefficient (SJ), Simple Matching Coefficient (SSM), and unweighted pair group algorithm with arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Seven major clusters were defined at the 82% SJ-similarity level (corresponds to the SSM-level of 91%). Three were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum or L. plantarum-like (together 41% of the ogi isolates). The others were obligately heterofermentative; Cluster 7 was identified as L. confusus (11% of the ogi isolates). Three minor clusters were identified as L. murinus, L. agilis or L. gallinarium, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, respectively. The phenotype of the L. plantarum isolates varied within wide limits. Seventeen isolates possessed starch fermenting capacity. Nine of these were identified as L. plantarum or L. plantarum-like (isolated from ogi); one was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides, and the rest were unidentified non-clustering strains.
Prohibition, "The Noble Experiment", ushered in speakeasys, gangsters and bathtub gin in the 1920s. For many Americans, however, it led to a period of joblessness, hard times, and austerity. The story of Jamaican Ginger ("Jake") poisoning, in which batches of a cheap, alcoholic tonic were laced with tri-ortho cresyl phosphate (TOCP) is one of cynical despicable behavior on the part of those responsible and a tragic enduring legacy for the invisible group of Americans who were victimized. TOCP, a potent organophosphate, caused an axonal dying-back neuropathy affecting mainly large muscle groups. Jake poisoning struck about 50,000 adults, mostly poor middle-aged vagrants with little medical care or social standing. Their symptoms and stories were told not only in medical journals but also in song. Hillbilly jazzmen sang of the "Jake Leg Blues" with a resignation to the fate of their own undoing, brought on by the intemperance of a wasted life. The postscript is grim--those responsible received little punishment; many who drank "Jake" were left both uncompensated and crippled by irreversible paralysis.