The Tansig-function model of low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy for the detection of adulterants in the Zamzam water

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

ABSTRACT The commercial value of the Zamzam water (ZZ) has risen as a result of the global high demands by the Muslim faithfuls. To develop an alternative for cheap, fast, and easy quality monitoring, this study presents the ultra-low frequency dielectric spectroscopy analysis for the ZZ. The dielectric permittivity of the ZZ was higher than that of the samples of local wells and bottled water. Similarly, the loss factor of the water was higher than that of others. As a result of the unique balance of dipole molecules and conducting ions in the ZZ water, the dissipation factor of the water was explored to further create a fingerprint of its characteristics among water samples. At 10 kHz, a unique crossover frequency of dissipation factor was recorded for samples of the ZZ and well water. At this frequency, adulterating the ZZ with well water leads to a decrease in the dissipation rate while also shifting the dissipation rate rightwards. A simple ANN-based model, built on the Tan-Sigmoid function, was developed using permittivity (ɛ′), loss factor (ɛ″), dissipation factor (D), frequency (F), and impedance (Z). The model used these variables, obtained at an ultra-low frequency, to spell out the purity level of the ZZ. Overall, the work presented numerically assisted ultra-low frequency dielectric spectroscopy analysis as a cheaper alternative to the material quality analysis.