Northeast News Qiqihar, February 20th Report: Originally, juice drinks are a favorite beverage for many people, but they often contain some amount of color additives and additives. How enjoyable it is to drink a glass of fresh juice, but for those who are at work, except for going to a pastry shop to buy ready-made ones, there is basically no other way. Now, a new type of cup – the lemon cup, can be put into any citrus fruit, allowing busy friends to juice at any time, and drink fresh juice.

 

Yesterday, a reporter discovered this 'juicing wonder' during an interview. There is a sharp grid at the bottom, covered by a transparent lid. Before drinking water, first invert the cup, squeeze half a lemon through the sharp grid, leaving the lemon inside, cover the lid, then invert the cup again, pour water into it from the front, and you can drink fresh juice. Ms. Song, the owner of the cup, told the reporter that this kind of cup is very popular online and in physical stores, with a price range of 140 to 200 yuan. The real health is nothing but making juice by yourself, enjoying the true 100% freshness and health of the juice. The lemon cup is a very convenient design for making juice by yourself, making drinking water more interesting and juicing more simple.

 

Ms. Liu, who is keen on online shopping, told the reporter, 'This kind of lemon cup is very popular in her social circle. A healthy life begins with every glass of water, and drinking more lemon water can also help whiten the skin. She already has one, and she plans to buy another one for her mother.'

Drinking fresh lemon water to supplement vitamin C and the body's required water intake? According to reporters from several well-known domestic online shopping websites, a lemon juice cup that can be squeezed is widely popular as the "health cup," and the material introduction of the cup all mentioned, "completely using the latest 'copolyester' material." Experts warn that this material cannot withstand high temperatures and acid and alkaline, but reporters found that the majority of people will use boiling water when drinking water with this cup.

Market visit

"Lemonade Cup" is made of copolyester.

Common prices range from 120 yuan to 200 yuan per piece.

Yesterday, when a reporter searched for "lemon water cups" on Taobao, 194 similar products immediately appeared. Among them, plastic water cups and double-layer glass water cups were the main types. The plastic water cups all noted that they were made of the latest "copolyester" material. Most online stores indicated that the products were original from South Korea, but the prices varied greatly.

Reporters saw that the lemon water cup made of this "copolyester" material has a sharp grid at the bottom, which is wrapped by a transparent lid. Before drinking water, first invert the cup, squeeze half a lemon into the sharp grid, leave the lemon inside, cover the lid, then invert the cup, pour water into it from the front.

In various online stores, the common price range for each cup is 120 yuan to 200 yuan, and there are also quite a few below 100 yuan." Ms. Liu, who is keen on online shopping, told reporters, "The first version of this cup to come out was the plastic cup, and the most expensive one sold for more than 200 yuan." Ms. Liu said that this kind of cup is very popular in her circle of friends, "Young people love beauty, drinking lemon water can whiten, drinking more water is also good for health, the concept is indeed quite healthy."

Local Investigation

Eighty percent of users will pour boiling water into plastic cups.

Even if it's made of polyethylene, it's recommended not to heat it.

Reporters then visited various supermarkets and cup specialty stores and found that currently, cups with similar materials have relatively simple designs, with prices around 100 yuan per cup, which is more affordable than the "Lemon Cup."

The lemonade cup sells on creativity, and its safety may not be good." A sales representative of a certain brand in a large supermarket told reporters, "In life, no matter what kind of tea is brewed, 80% of cup users will directly pour boiling water into plastic cups." "Therefore, the cup must be heat-resistant."

Industry insiders told reporters that whether it is any kind of plastic water cup, qualified products must indicate the material on the bottom part. The number 7 inside the triangle on the bottom of the plastic bottle generally indicates PC material, commonly known as polyethylene, which can generally withstand high temperatures of 140 degrees Celsius. Common items in life include kettles, space cups, and baby bottles, etc. "However, it is still recommended not to heat it when using it, and not to expose it directly to the sun." Polyethylene and copolyester are essentially both plastics, but copolyester is easily decomposed at high temperatures, while polyethylene is much more stable and has higher safety."

Expert's Opinion

"Polyester" should avoid high temperatures and acid and alkali.

Decomposing components may pose potential risks to the kidneys and liver.

The 'lemon water cups' sold in the market have varying prices, so are they safe to use? Yesterday, the reporter interviewed Professor Jing Yaobai from the School of Chemical Engineering at Yangzhou University.

Professor Jing told the reporter, "According to the introduction of the cup, the 'Lemon Cup' is made of 'copolyester' material. 'Copolyester' is actually plastic, and it is a relatively fragile component in organic chemistry." Jing Yaobai said that it will decompose into small molecules when it encounters high temperature, acid, and alkali.

Jingyaobie explained that copolyester is a broad concept, which includes many specific "polyester" varieties. If it is copolyethylene glycol ester, the small molecules after decomposition contain ethanol, which is less harmful to the body; however, if it is a copolyethylene glycol ester or phthalate-type components, the components that decompose will be methanol or plasticizers. These components, if accumulated in the body for a long time, may pose potential safety hazards to the functions of the liver and kidneys.

In fact, for plastic cups, it's best not to come into contact with high temperatures, acids, or alkalis. Especially for those who use this cup to drink lemon water, which contains citric acid. The small molecules in the cup might be released." Professor Jing said, "At the same time, this type of cup should not be used to hold boiling water, as the effects of high temperatures and acids are similar. "It is especially important to remind you not to use this type of plastic cup to hold alkaline water bodies such as soda water, as the components of polyesters will react with alkalis to form soap, which can lead to a more intense decomposition than when exposed to high temperatures or acids.