Bacteriological quality of bottled natural mineral waters commercialized in Hungary

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe purpose of the present study was to examine the bacteriological quality of bottled natural mineral waters sold in Hungary because, in recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in consumer demand for these products in the country. In total, 492 samples of domestic and imported brands of carbonated and non-carbonated mineral waters (246 samples each) were purchased from retail outlets, and were then screened for the presence of the following indicator and potentially pathogenic bacteria: spore-forming sulfite-reducing anaerobes (clostridia), total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) were also determined by incubation at 37 C for 24 h and at 22 C for 72 h. The data generated were compared to the reference criteria set by Directive 2009/54/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters. The results showed that 5.3% and 10.2% of the carbonated and non-carbonated mineral water samples tested, respectively, were positive for at least one of the specific indicator or potentially pathogenic bacteria. Overall, a total of 38 sample units (7.7%) failed to comply with the standards set by Directive 2009/54/EC. None of the samples were judged noncompliant with current regulations on the basis of the presence of HPC bacteria at levels reaching or exceeding the acceptability limit (i.e., 100 CFU/ml at 22 C or 20 CFU/ml at 37 C) because the analyses were not carried out within 12 h after bottling, as required by Directive 2009/54/EC. The findings of this study highlight the need for a more stringent self-control by some producers of mineral water. In addition, a more systematic surveillance by the official authorities of food control is also necessary.

Molecular monitoring of disinfection efficacy of E. coli O157:H7 in bottled purified drinking water by quantitative PCR with a novel dye

“…In addition to many waterborne outbreaks associated with contaminated public water supply (Ferroni et al, ; Jokinen et al, ), contaminated bottled water may also pose a health risk to people (Kerr, Fitzgerald, Sheridan, McDowell, & Blair, ; Varga, ), mainly due to the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to survive in bottled water. E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most common pathogenic bacteria in water with a low infective dose, several researchers (Al‐Qadiri et al, ; Kerr et al, ) found that it was able to survive for long storage time under cold temperatures in bottled water without essential nutrients.…”

“…The infective dose of E. coli O157:H7 is estimated to be very low, in the range of 10–100 cells (Phillips, ). Commercial bottled water which has been strictly filtered or sterilized is considered to be much safer than tap water, but several surveys have reported the potential health risk from contaminated bottled water (Varga, ). Moreover, due to lack of nutrition, water as a media sometimes could induce E. coli O157:H7 to enter into the viable but nonculturable state (VBNC) (Liu, Gilchrist, Zhang, & Li, ).…”

Água envasada: qualidade microbiológica e percepção dos consumidores no município de Viçosa (MG)

“…A avaliação da qualidade da água foi realizada por comparação aos padrões de valores máximos permitidos (VMPs) estabelecidos: (i) coliformes totais, enterococos e Pseudomonas aeruginosa: <1,1 NMP ou ausência em 100 mL de água; (ii) E. coli: ausência em 100 mL; (iii) turbidez: 5 uT; e (iv) cor: 15 Com o intuito de apreender as percepções dos consumidores de água envasada sobre essa fonte e compreender os elementos envolvidos na tomada de decisão sobre seu consumo, foi realizado um estudo norteado pelos pressupostos da pesquisa qualitativa, que se volta para os significados e a intencionalidade das ações nos contextos das estruturas sociais 24 . A entrevista semiestruturada, entendida como uma "conversa com finalidade", foi utilizada por se constituir em um importante instrumento de produção/construção de dados objetivos e, sobretudo, subjetivos, já que permite a reflexão do próprio indivíduo entrevistado sobre a realidade que vivencia 24 .…”

“…A qualidade microbioló-gica foi insatisfatória em 10,5% das 714 amostras analisadas 13 . Outros estudos também apontam que as águas envasadas não são fontes necessariamente seguras, podendo oferecer riscos à saúde dos consumidores, como agravos causados por patógenos ou substâncias químicas ou também agravos relacionados a pató-genos oportunistas, afetando grupos populacionais específicos, como crianças, idosos e pacientes imunocomprometidos [14][15][16][17][18] . As águas envasadas devem apresentar qualidade que garanta ausência de risco à saúde do consumidor, devendo ser captadas, processadas e envasadas obedecendo às condições higiê-nico-sanitárias e às boas práticas de fabricação, conforme as legislações vigentes 2,19 .…”

Bottling Spring Water from a Serbian Mountain

“…In addition, bottled water plays a significant role as a very important product in some areas of the world where groundwater is scarce [9] or, in the case of many developing countries, where the public water supply is not potable [10]. Tests at the international level have shown that people prefer bottled water because they assume that it is safer and of better quality than water from public water supplies [11][12][13][14]. Francisco [15] showed that public distrust of the safety and quality of the municipal water supply is the main reason for the population's preference for bottled water as the primary drinking water source.…”