Home Testing Kit Could Help Identify "Hidden" Caffeine In Beverages

If you’ve ever wondered whether your favorite coffee, tea or soda contains caffeine — despite its decaf label or the absence of caffeine on the ingredient list — then you may soon be able to test the beverage yourself. Chemists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are developing a quick, convenient "dipstick" test that they say could represent the first home testing kit to detect the common stimulant, which can cause insomnia and make you jittery. Their study will appear in the June 1 print issue of the American Chemical Society’s Analytical Chemistry.