Assessment of quality and safety indicators of drinking and process water

The enormous role of water in the life of all living beings, including humans, is due to the fact that it is a universal solvent for a huge number of chemicals. Water was one of the first compounds to attract the attention of scientists, yet its study is still incomplete. Water is the basis of life and the raw material for a huge number of technologies in all industries. The water used for the technological process in the food industry must comply with hygienic requirements and, in addition to cleaning, reducing turbidity and color, requires correction of the salt composition: removal of salts and molecularly soluble compounds, reduction in the content of calcium and magnesium ions (water softening), removal of individual elements (boron, radon, nitrates, silicates, other elements), introduction of a dosed amount of ions (iodides, fluorides, silver, potassium, calcium, acids and alkalis) to achieve the required pH. Drinking and process water treatment is carried out according to different technologies with the use of special equipment for cleaning, iron removal, disinfection, softening and other types of treatment. The paper presents the results of studies of the quality and safety indicators of drinking water for children in the retail chains of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the results of clinical trials of drinking oxygenated water.