Physico- Chemical, Microbiological and Sensory Properties of Some Commercial Bottled Drinking Water In Egypt.

Bottled water like any drinking water used for human consumption should be safe and of standard quality to ensure adequate public health significance. But, the quality of bottled water used for human consumption is not subjected to any stringent quality control measure in Egypt. People buy bottled water for a variety of reasons, including convenience, fashion, and taste or because they think it is safer than tap water. The taste of the water has to do with the way it is treated and the quality of its source, including its natural mineral content. However, taste does not always indicate safeness. The samples were collected by random sampling technique. To asses the quality of bottled water in Al-Qalyubia, Egypt. The present study was carried out to determine the physicochemical, microbiological, sensory quality parameters and the concentration of heavy elements of six brands of bottled drinking water available in Al- Qalyubia and to compare with drinking water guidelines set by the WHO and the Egyptian Standard for bottled water(EOS). The results obtained showed that the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory parameters as well as the concentration of heavy elements in almost all the bottled drinking water were below the permissible limit set by WHO and Egyptian Standard (EOS). Hence, all the tested bottled water samples are safe for drinking purpose.