Study of Some Physical and Chemical Properties of Bottled Zamzam Water

Abstract

This study aims to measure certain physical and chemical properties of bottled Zamzam water and compare them with national and international standards for drinking water. Samples of bottled Zamzam water were collected from the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region. Laboratory analyses were conducted at the National Water Company laboratories in Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia. The average results obtained for the physical measurements were as follows: pH (7.930), total dissolved solids (TDS) (864.66 mg/l), total alkalinity (T.Alka) (230.00 mg/l), total hardness (T.H) (300.0 mg/l), electrical conductivity (E.C) (1296.00 µs/cm), and turbidity (Tur) (1.28 NTU). For chemical properties (cations), the average concentrations in mg/L were: magnesium (Mg2+ 120), calcium (Ca2+ 180), manganese (Mn2+ 0.106), and iron (Fe2+ 0.11). For anions in mg/L, the average concentrations were: fluoride (F- 0.94), chloride (Cl- 128), nitrite (NO2- 0.0223), nitrate (NO3- 46.26), and sulfate (SO42- 78.66). The results obtained from this study were compared with Saudi, Jordanian, and World Health Organization standards for drinking water, as well as some published studies. The study showed good agreement with these standards. Based on the results obtained, the study recommends analyzing the remaining chemical properties and studying the biological activity of bottled Zamzam water against bacteria and fungi.