Spring water bottled and sold for human consumption can only be subjected to
certain treatment processes such as separation from unstable constituents by
decantation, filtration and aeration, ultraviolet irradiation and ozonation. A spring
water distribution system in the Western Cape, South Africa was experiencing
microbiological problems. The aim of the study was to investigate bacterial
contamination in the spring water distribution system and the application of
bioremediation as treatment technology. Sampling at various points in the spring
water distribution bottling system started in February 2004 and continued until
November 2004.
The acceptable microbiological limits for bottled spring water clearly states that
the total viable colony count should be < 100 organisms per ml of water. Analysis of
samples by the heterotrophic plate count (HPC) technique indicated significantly
(p < 0.05) high counts which did not conform to the microbiological limit. The
heterotrophic plate counts recorded for weeks one, four, eight & 46 in the final bottled
water (Site J) were 3.66 x 107 cfu/ml, 9.0 x 106cfu/ml, 2.35 x 107 cfu/ml and 5.00 x
104 cfu/ml, respectively. The total cell counts [Flow cytometry analyses (FCM)]
recorded for week one, four, eight & 46 in the final bottled water (Site J) were 5.44 x
107 microorganisms/ml, 8.36 x 107 microorganisms/ml, 9.09 x 107 microorganisms/ml
and 5.70 x 107 microorganisms/ml, respectively. The higher viable total cell counts(FCM) indicate that flow cytometry was able to detect cells in the water sample that
enter a viable but not culturable state and that the heterotrophic plate count
technique only allowed for the growth of the viable and culturable cells present in the
water samples. This indicated that the HPC is not a clear indication of the actual
microbial population in the water samples. It could be concluded that FCM technique
was a more reliable technique for the enumeration of microbial populations in bottled
water samples. Various organisms were identified by means of the Polymerase
Chain Reaction (PCR) using 16S rRNA specific primers. Purified PCR amplicons
were sequenced and Phylogenetic trees were constructed. Neighbour-joining
phylogenetic tree analysis of the bacterial species present in the water samples was
performed. The dominant bacterial isolates that were sequenced from the various
water samples throughout weeks one, four, eight and 46 were Bacillus sp. and
Enterobacteriaceae. The pathogenic species isolated throughout the sampling
period included Escherichia sp., Pseudomonas sp., Shigella boydii, Bacillus and
Staphylococcus sp.
A laboratory-scale bioreactor was constructed and water samples were
analysed over a period of two weeks. Water samples were analysed using FCM and
Direct Acridine Orange Count (DAOC) in conjunction with epiflourescence
microscopy (EM). The FCM counts ranged from 1.53 x 107 microorganisms/ml in the
initial sample (Day 0) to 1.16 x 107 microorganisms/mℓ in the final sample (Day 13).
The results indicated a 24% decrease in the microbial numbers however, it was still
above the limit of < 100 organisms/ml as set out by the South African Standards of
Bottled Water, (2003). The total cell counts obtained by the DAOC method ranged
from 1.43 x 106 microorganisms/ml to 9.54 x 105 microorganism/ml on day 13 (final).
The results indicated a 33% decrease in microbial numbers. The total cell counts
analysed by flow cytometry fluctuated throughout the sampling period. The total cell
counts obtained from the DAOC method were lower in all the water samples when
compared to the total counts obtained by flow cytometric analyses. Even though the
FCM counts fluctuated throughout the sampling period, results clearly show that the
FCM method yielded more accurate data for total cell counts than the DAOC method.
Due to external environmental conditions such as changes in the weather conditions
the results fluctuated and the final results clearly indicated that further studies are
required to optimise the bioreactor system for its application in the spring water industry.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/826 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Behardien, Latiefa |
| Contributors | Khan, Sehaam, Prof, Khan, Wesaal, Prof |
| Publisher | Cape Peninsula University of Technology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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