Examining the physicochemical and microbial qualities and mineral content of selected brands of bottled water marketed and consumed in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

H.I Owamah

doi:10.4314/jasem.v22i12.19

Abstract

The quality of bottled water sold in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, was investigated in this study. Six (6) brands of highly consumed bottled water were randomly selected for evaluation of physicochemical parameters, metallic and nonmetallic inorganic constituents, and microbial properties. The study revealed that physicochemical parameters such as pH, TDS and Chloride ranged between 6.63±0.03-7.54±0.02, 3.3±0.8-88.4±6.1 and 2.48±0.6-39.3±3.6 respectively, while the metal contents were highly variable amongst the bottled water examined. The study also showed from bacteriological analysis, that 5.2 % of tested samples had Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Values for the physicochemical and non-metal inorganic elements were below the prescribed maximum limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON). Generally, the bottled waters were found to be microbiologically safe, going by the results of total coliform and heterotrophic plate count and were also not contaminated by heavy metals. A direct comparison of the values obtained with the mineral water categorization system showed low mineral content and hence most suitable for low-sodium diets. The study recommends regular monitoring and analysis of bottled waters sold and consumed in Nigeria for quality assurance. Keywords: Bottled Water, Water Quality, Public Health, Regular Monitoring, Asaba

Highlights

Brands of highly consumed bottled water were randomly selected for evaluation of physicochemical parameters, metallic and nonmetallic inorganic constituents, and microbial properties
When TH in drinking water is above 75 mg L-1, it could bring about negative effects on the balance of mineral compositions of water (WHO, 2003)
The TH of the selected bottled waters marketed in Asaba was found to be less than the upper regulatory limit of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and World Health Organization (WHO) (Table 2), with average value of below 33 mg L-1 in most of the samples

Summary

Introduction

Brands of highly consumed bottled water were randomly selected for evaluation of physicochemical parameters, metallic and nonmetallic inorganic constituents, and microbial properties. The study revealed that physicochemical parameters such as pH, TDS and Chloride ranged between 6.63±0.03-7.54±0.02, 3.3±0.8-88.4±6.1 and 2.48±0.6-39.3±3.6 respectively, while the metal contents were highly variable amongst the bottled water examined. The study recommends regular monitoring and analysis of bottled waters sold and consumed in Nigeria for quality assurance. There is inadequate scientific information in the literature, about the quality of bottled waters consumed in many Nigeria cities like Asaba. The objective of this study was to analyze the physicochemical and microbial qualities, and mineral content of selected brands of bottled water marketed and consumed in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion