Bottling spring water from a Serbian mountain.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the possibilities of bottling the water from four sources (in total 10 springs) on Jastrebac Mountain in central Serbia. In the water samples, the following parameters were determined: • Physico-chemical parameters – temperature and solids content (total, dissolved and suspended), turbidity, pH, conductivity, hardness (as CaCO3 ), alkalinity (as CaCO3 ), oxygen concentration and saturation, concentrations of Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, F- , Cl- , and SO4 2-, inorganic nitrogen content (NH4 + , NO2 - , and NO3 - ), total phosphorus and orthophosphates content (PO4 3-), and the content of organic compounds as concentrations of KMnO4 and UV extinction. • Microbiological parameters – total count of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, count of coliform bacteria, and the presence of faecal indicators (faecal coliforms, faecal streptococci, and sulphitereducing clostridia). • Biological parameters. Based on the obtained values of the examined parameters and their ratings, five springs out of 10 tested could be considered for bottling. The values of the parameters of these springs were in compliance with current regulations for drinking water. Also, these springs had a significantly higher quality of water compared to the one of the most used bottled water in Serbia. Other springs had a considerably poorer quality of water due to exposure to the negative anthropogenic effects, which was particularly manifested in the form of the excessive count of total bacteria, the presence of the indicators of faecal contamination, and the presence of suspended solids.