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Quality assessment of Romanian bottled mineral water and tap water

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Abstract

This study reports the evaluation of bottled mineral water characteristics using fluorescence spectroscopy (synchronous fluorescence scans and emission spectra) and physico-chemical analyses. Samples from 14 still mineral water brands were compared to 11 tap waters collected from two Romanian cities. Correlation and factor analyses were undertaken to understand the relationships between the individual components. The concentration of major and minor ions showed great variation between the bottled mineral water samples highlighting the diversity of the water intakes, while in the case of tap water the chemical composition was relatively similar for samples collected in the same city. Fluorescence data showed that the mineral water contained low quantities of organic matter. The humic fraction was dominant in all samples, while the microbial fraction was low in most samples. Synchronous fluorescence scans provided more information, regarding the composition of organic matter, compared to emission spectra. The study evidenced the correlation between fluorescence parameters and major elements and highlighted the potential of using fluorescence for qualitative evaluation of the bottled mineral water quality, as a screening method before undertaking complex analyses.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Core Program, under the support of ANCS, project number PN 16.40.01.01 and PN 16.40.02.01.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Atomistilor 409, RO-077125, Magurele, Romania

    Elfrida M. Carstea & Roxana Savastru

  2. National Institute of R&D for Optoelectronics, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation Subsidiary, Donath 67, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Erika A. Levei & Maria-Alexandra Hoaghia

Authors
  1. Elfrida M. Carstea
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  2. Erika A. Levei
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  3. Maria-Alexandra Hoaghia
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  4. Roxana Savastru
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Correspondence to Elfrida M. Carstea.

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M. Carstea, E., Levei, E.A., Hoaghia, MA. et al. Quality assessment of Romanian bottled mineral water and tap water. Environ Monit Assess 188, 521 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5531-9

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