Abstract
ABSTRACTIn recent years, the consumption of bottled natural mineral water (BNMWs) has grown enormously in Italy. This trend and the importance of the market were supported by the proliferation of brands with very different physico-chemical properties, and related to very different geological scenarios. In this paper, label data of more than 400 BNMWs are reviewed by using graphical and geospatial analyses in order to relate their hydrochemical characterization to geographical distribution. For this purpose, a large geodatabase covering the Italian peninsula was constructed, including geographical, geochemical and lithological data. A graphical classification based on hydrochemical characteristics, as well as distribution maps of some physical parameters were also reported. The results were evaluated within the context of the geological scenarios that control groundwater evolution. This information may be used by experts for both an evaluation of the potential market demand, and for health care use.
Highlights
The European consumption of bottled natural mineral water (BNMW) has increased over the last two decades
The general graph used for hydrochemical classification of groundwaters (i.e. Chebotarev diagram) highlights that the majority of waters belong to the bicarbonate earth alkaline type (Ca–HCO3, Chebotarev type 1)
The chemistry of the other BNMWs is mainly affected by the local rather than regional geological setting, for example the SO4-rich waters circulating in evaporite sequences or the Na–Cl waters originating from a Mio-Pliocene clastic marine deposit
Summary
The European consumption of bottled natural mineral water (BNMW) has increased over the last two decades. This growth, which has mainly occurred in the traditional mineral water consuming countries (e.g. Italy, Germany, France and Spain) rather than in newer markets such as UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries, reflects a clear trend of consumers increasingly choosing healthy, convenient, BNMW. Most of the customers that are purchasing large amounts of sparkling or still water bottles are much more likely to look for foods that are locally sourced. This is one of the new objectives set by marketers to promote their products, and that caused the proliferation of local brands. The most important characteristic of mineral water is that it can be a substantial source of minerals and is a much healthier alternative to sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
