Aquaphotomics Reveals Subtle Differences between Natural Mineral, Processed and Aged Water Using Temperature Perturbation Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Abstract

Current approaches to the quality control of water are unsatisfying due to either a high cost or the inability to capture all of the relevant information. In this study, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with aquaphotomics as a novel approach was assessed for the discrimination of natural, processed and aged water samples. Temperature perturbation of water samples was employed to probe the aqueous systems and reveal the hidden information. A radar chart named an aquagram was used to visualize and compare the absorbance spectral patterns of waters at different temperatures. For the spectra acquired at a constant temperature of 30 °C, the discrimination analysis of different water samples failed to produce satisfying results. However, under perturbation by increasing the temperature from 35 to 60 °C, the absorbance spectral pattern of different waters displayed in aquagrams revealed different, water-specific dynamics. Moreover, it was found that aged processed water changed with the temperature, whereas the same processed water, when freshly prepared, had hydrogen bonded structures unperturbed by temperature. In summary, the aquaphotomics approach to the NIRS analysis showed that the water absorbance spectral pattern can be used to describe the character and monitor dynamics of each water sample as a complex molecular system, whose behavior under temperature perturbation can reveal even subtle changes, such as aging and the loss of certain qualities during storage.

Pilot Aquaphotomic Study of the Effects of Audible Sound on Water Molecular Structure

“…This all points out the difficulties of reference methods usually used to describe the effects of perturbations that may be very delicate, but nevertheless genuine and consistent, which requires devising other means and more controlled measurements which can completely eliminate possible influences of the environment. There is also a possibility that these physico-chemical parameters may simply be inadequate to capture all of the information relevant for the thorough description of water as a complex system and its dynamics in response to some perturbations [ 27 ].…”

Aquaphotomics Investigation of Electrolyzed Hydrogen Water: Understanding the Water Molecular Structure and Its Role in Scavenging Reactive Oxygen Species

“…Funding: This study was conducted as collaborative study among Kobe University, RIKEN and Nihon Trim Co., Ltd. funded by Nihon Trim Co., Ltd. (grant number [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50].…”

“…It has the potential to provide understanding and insights into the molecular mechanisms underpinning the functionality of functional waters. Numerous publications in this field provide the rationale for using aquaphotomics NIRS to connect the specifics of water molecular structure and how it changes under different perturbations, thereby linking the molecular structure with the exhibited functionality [37,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46]. Moreover, numerous studies highlight the intricate and active role played by the molecular structure of water in various aspects, including antioxidant activity, radical scavenging, and the prevention of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation [47][48][49][50][51][52].…”

Natural Changbai mineral water reduces obesity risk through regulating metabolism and gut microbiome in a hyperuricemia male mouse model

“…After that, the large water molecule clusters were cut into small water molecule clusters after going through the reactor filled with nano-scale cutting material. Finally, the water molecules were arranged in order to form a stable structure of small molecular clusters by reforming the reactor ( 11 ).…”