Assessment of physicochemical and antibacterial properties of structured water samples from Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

We investigated the effect of structuring potable water with QNET Amezcua Bio Disc 3 (BD3). Seven water samples, including public tap, borehole, rain, bottled (2 brands), distilled, and sachet water, obtained from Ota, Nigeria, were analyzed for their physicochemical and antibacterial properties. The water samples were placed on the BD3 for 15 and 30 minutes, 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours respectively, with the unstructured water serving as the control. Physicochemical properties were evaluated using standard methods described by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), elemental analysis was executed using the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), while microbial analysis was done using the most probable number method. Results showed that the samples' appearance, color, taste, and odor were clear, colorless, and unobjectionable. The alkalinity of the sachet (160 ± 2.01mg/l) and bottled (240 ± 1.12mg/l) water samples after treatment with BD3 was enhanced compared to the control sample (124 ± 1.00mg/l). F u r t h e r m o r e, supercharging with BD3 significantly (p<0.05) increased the pH and alkalinity of the water. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in electrical conductance of all structured water samples when compared with the control groups except in sachet and borehole water samples. No significant (p>0.05) effect was observed for total dissolved solids when comparing the structured samples with the control. Most parameters assayed for were within the allowable limits. No heavy metals were detected. Supercharging up to 5 times enhanced the concentrations of calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium ions significantly (p<0.05) across the groups compared to the control samples, while the sodium ion was significantly (p<0.05) reduced as the water samples were serially charged with the BD3. Supercharging of the infected autoclaved distilled water samples significantly (p<0.05) reduced the total viable count at low concentrations of E. coli. In conclusion, BD3 impacts high electrical conductivity on the structured water samples with increased efficacy of solved minerals and a potential antibacterial effect.