Non-alcoholic water-based beverages are fast gaining popularity in Uganda, owing to consumption of tea and coffee in the nation [1]. The most frequently consumed beverages are grouped into non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage, likewise non-alcoholic beverage is also divided into soft and energy drinks, and majority of those beverages are more of water by volume, but water is not considered as beverage for some extent, therefore, in this study, it has been considered as a special kind of beverage, as suggested by some authors [2]. Uganda's Food and drink has been on a positive growth trajectory in 2021, despite the deceleration in food spending growth due to high base effects in 2020 as consumers shifted their purchasing patterns amidst high level of global uncertainty, that is; severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARS-COVID-19) pandemic, due outdoor food advertisements for examples of such are branded billboards, radio televisions, posters or banners [1, 3]. And, the country had forecasted that over the medium term (2021–2024) the spending growth of non-alcoholic beverages was assumed to accelerate positively, as driven by strong demand for fruits, vegetables juices, carbonated drinks, caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks (Fig. 1), which were commonly consumed by human in their daily lives as a source of energy and for refreshing the body [4], as they are found throughout the demographic demarcations of the country. The main ingredients of non-alcoholic water-based beverages are; mineralized water (90%), dissolve sugar (7–10%), caffeine, and non-nutritive stimulants [5–7], more caffeine is being consumed in form of non-alcoholic beverages. Caffeine is one of the natural alkaloids found in plant species like coffee (Fig. 2) [8], which is used as raw material for making beverages or intentionally added as a flavor or enhancer [9]. it is a semi- additive drug which stimulates the central nervous system and causes insomnia, nervousness, irritation, fear and function and rhythm of the heart [10, 11].
The truth of the matter is that non-alcoholic water-based beverages are harming people in the worst possible ways because they make people addicts as its common amongst youths yet it dangerous to their health [12]. While soft drinks are literally killing the consumers, the companies that manufacture them always do anything to mislead clients, making it even harder to break the habit of consuming these drinks. They use all marketing techniques necessary to continue pursuing people into consuming these deadly drinks, since they are inexpensive in comparison and easily accessible to alcoholic beverages [13, 14]. Epidemiological studies support a beneficial role of moderate coffee intake in reducing risk of several chronic diseases, but heavy intake is likely harmful regarding pregnancy outcomes [15]. Health implications of regular tea, mate, and energy drink consumption are inconclusive and most concern for caffeinated soda intake currently pertains to its sugar content and relationship to obesity [16–19]. Further, food safety is a major public health concern and the importance of the association with consumption of foodstuffs with their ingredients. It reveals that unsafe food or drinks can be significant reason for many chronic and non-chronic diseases including cancer, heart diseases, stomach disorders, birth defects and various kidney diseases [3, 12]. In order to understand the information on the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages; with their caffeine and acidity levels, and health risks, literature review was conducted. Many studies have been conducted to determine the caffeine and acidity levels of non-alcoholic beverages from other countries rather than Uganda. From the study, there are many methods which were employed to analyzed the caffeine contents in coffee products, tea and non-alcoholic beverages [11, 20]. Worthwhile, the pH values for the various beverages has been published by some scientists from other countries [21–23]. The methods previously used for caffeine determinations were; High performance liquid chromatography, UV-visible spectrophotometer, and thin layer chromatography, but values obtained by UV visible spectrophotometer was higher than those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography [20, 24]. Other methods are ion chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, micellar capillary electrophoresis, gas chromatography, and solid-phase micro extraction gas chromatography. But, out of the above mentioned methods, High performance liquid chromatography has been highly employed analytical method [10, 25–27]. Non-alcoholic beverages also contribute a wealth of other compounds to the diet that have potential benefits or risks to health and thus it is imperative to consider the context (i.e., beverage type) in which caffeine is consumed [17]. It is well known that the global markets for such beverages are highly demanding [28]. And, they are the most sold beverages in Uganda. Thus, there is need for industries to be concern at a continuous search of innovative and safer products to provide consumers with high quality and new tastes that are absolutely free or having the recommended levels of those potentially hazardous chemicals. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the caffeine content and acidity levels of the highly demanding non-alcoholic water-based beverages consumed by the consumers in Banda Zone, Kampala-Uganda.