Abstract:
Bottled water is becoming a primary drinking source at work place and different occasions.
Ethiopia has significant public health concerns related to water safety. With the increasing
consumption of bottled water as a primary drinking source, it is essential to assess its quality to
ensure consumer protection and compliance with health regulations. The current study was
carried out to determine the physicochemical and microbial quality of nine brands of bottled water
sold in Jimma city, and to compare with drinking water guidelines set by the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the compulsory Ethiopian standard (CES). To keep the brand names
anonymous, the samples were coded from A to I. Physicochemical parameters, including TDS, pH,
EC, and concentrations of essential minerals and harmful substances, were measured by multi pH
meter, titration, UV-visible, DR 3900 spectrophotometry, and membrane filtration apparatus,
respectively, through comprehensive laboratory testing and statistical analysis. The
concentrations of the recorded parameters ranged as follows: pH (6.51–7.48, EC (6.04
229.67μS), TDS (3.59–163.73 mg/L), Density (0.98–1.00 g/mL), F- (0.01–0.55 mg/L), Cl-(7.10
20.03 mg/L), HCO3- (146.40–366.00 mg/L), PO43- (2.27–4.96 mg/L), SO42- (0.05 –2.80 mg/L),
NO3-(0.28 –3.48 mg/L) and NO2-(0.01–0.04 mg/L). The result of the analysis of pH and Density
found no significant difference while there is a significant difference in the mean of TDS, EC, Cl-,
HCO3-, SO4-2, NO3-, NO2- and F-. All investigated water samples yielded negative results for total
and fecal coliforms. The results are expected to provide valuable insights for consumers,
regulatory authorities, and manufacturers, ultimately contributing to the establishment of stricter
quality standards and promoting public health awareness regarding bottled water safety.
