Preliminary Evaluation of Enteric Viruses in Bottled Mineral Water Commercialized in Brazil

Vivian Rodrigues Dos Santos,Fernando Spilki,Andréia Vecchia,Andréia Henzel,Rodrigo Staggemeier,Caroline Rigotto

doi:10.3390/beverages1030140

Vivian Rodrigues Dos Santos, Fernando Spilki + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages1030140

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Journal: Beverages	Publication Date: Jul 23, 2015
Citations: 23	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Feevale

Abstract

In Brazil, mineral water is widely consumed and as of yet there have been no studies done in the country that aim to detect enteric viruses in this water source. The aim of this study was to analyze the presence of the human adenovirus (HAdV), the human rotavirus genogroup A (GARV) and the human enterovirus (hEV) in mineral water samples from six different brands that are commercialized in southern Brazil, using molecular techniques and comparing the results with bacterial indicators. Samples of 1.5 L and 500 mL were analyzed for viruses through PCR and total and thermotolerant coliforms. Additionally, heterotrophic bacteria were assayed using a commercial kit. The most prevalent virus was adenovirus (32.5%) followed by rotavirus (25%) and enterovirus (17.5%). Total and thermotolerant coliforms were absent in all samples and only three samples out of the 60 analyzed presented heterotrophic bacteria contamination. We conclude that, following the example taken into consideration regarding the public supply of drinking water, stricter measures for microbiological control should also be applied to mineral water so that this actually becomes a safer alternative.

Highlights

Water quality is essential for human health and should be safely available for the population
Out of the 40 samples of bottled mineral waters analyzed by conventional PCR, at least one virus was positively detected per sample (Table 1), of which 38.2% were positive for human adenovirus (HAdV), followed by 25% for GARV and 17.5% for human enterovirus (hEV)
1.5 L mineral water samples collected from the same lot; total and thermotolerant coliforms were absent in the mineral water samples, three samples were positive for heterotrophic bacteria

Summary

Introduction

Water quality is essential for human health and should be safely available for the population. Brazil is the sixth largest consumer of mineral bottled water worldwide, with a per capita consumption of. 13 L/year (ABINAM—Brazilian Association of Mineral Water Industries) [1]. This may be due to the nation’s increasing standards of living and the population’ general perception that bottled mineral water is the healthier and safer option for consumption when compared with other sources. (2013) [2] suggested that bottled water might have the same or worse bacteriological and chemical quality as tap water, concluding that bottled water is not better than tap water when considering health benefits. In Brazil, ordinance No 274/2005 [4]

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