Physico-Chemical and Microbiological Analyses of some Packaged Water Samples sold in Akure, Nigeria

Potable water is essential to living things and the desire for quality water on daily basis is therefore on the rise. Four sachet and two bottled water brands were purchased from a store within The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria and were analysed for their physicochemical and microbiological parameters using standard analytical procedures. The samples were odourless and without colour. The pH values ranged between 7.32 – 7.84, the electrical conductivity ranged from 60 -161µS/cm, and the turbidity ranged from 0.3 – 0.4 NTU. The values obtained for pH, conductivity and turbidity were within the permissible limits specified by the World Health Organization (WHO). The acidity and alkalinity of the water samples were in the ranges of 10.8 – 27.36 and 113 – 232.26 mg/L, respectively, which were also within the recommended limits of WHO. Other parameters such as total suspended solids (TSS) recorded 20 – 120 mg/L; total dissolved solids (TDS) (100 – 120 mg/L); total solids (TS) (160 – 220 mg/L); dissolved oxygen (DO) (1.0 – 1.4 mg/L); biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (0.1 – 0.2 mg/L); Nitrate (BDL – 7.5 mg/L); Chloride (12.24 – 34.40 mg/L); Sulphate (5.0 – 23.30 mg/L); and Phosphate (BDL – 5.0 mg/L) conformed to WHO permissible limits. Total Coliform and metal contents for the packaged water samples were within WHO permissible limits except sample B that has higher lead content. All the packaged water samples analysed were found to be within the permissible limits stated by WHO except sample B (sachet water) which had a relatively high lead content