Related Technical Articles
Drinking Water Fortification or Drinking Water Enrichment is the process of deliberately adding essential nutrients, minerals, electrolytes, antioxidants, or other functional ingredients to drinking water to enhance its nutritional value and health benefits. Water purification methods like reverse osmosis result in loss of essential minerals from the water. Thus, water fortification helps to make up for this loss of naturally occurring minerals. It acts as an effective strategy to address nutritional deficiencies and offer functional health benefits to consumers. Fortification elements for drinking water include, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, antioxidants, vitamins, probiotics, fiber etc. Table 1 summarises the types of fortification elements and their benefits.
Enrichment Category | Key Ingredients | Potential Benefits |
Mineral Fortification | Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium | Supports bone and dental health, aids muscle function, and helps maintain electrolyte balance. |
Vitamin-Enriched Water | Vitamins (B-complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D) | Boosts immune function, enhances energy metabolism, and supports overall vitality. |
Antioxidant-Enhanced Water | Antioxidants (e.g., Vitamin C, Vitamin E, polyphenols from fruit extracts) | Helps neutralize free radicals, reduces oxidative stress, and may contribute to healthier skin and cardiovascular systems. |
Electrolyte-Enhanced Water | Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Chloride | Aids in rapid rehydration, replenishes electrolytes lost during exercise, and supports optimal muscle function. |
Neutraceutical-Infused Water | Botanical extracts (green tea extract, turmeric, resveratrol) | May offer anti-inflammatory benefits, support metabolic health, and promote overall wellness. |
Water enrichment evolved gradually depending on the developments in water treatment, public health concerns, regulatory guidelines and consumer demand. It started gaining attention in the mid-20th century when fluoridation of public drinking water began in 1940s to prevent tooth decay. During 1970s to 80s, popularity of bottled water rich in minerals grew. In 1990s to 2000s, fortified bottled water with minerals and electrolytes was targeted for athletes. Since 2010s advanced water enrichment methods were explored to add vitamins, antioxidants, probiotics, plant extracts, fiber etc resulting in evolution of today’s potential market of functional beverages.
Water-based functional beverages fortified with minerals have made a new connection between the food and medical sciences. The consumers are attracted to these specialised waters as they believe it helps to replenish lost nutrients or those which are unavailable from daily diet. The nutrient’s bioavailability increases with their solubility in water. There is a tremendous variation in mineral content of bottled water. Mineral lactates are used as a source. For fortifying compounds which are insoluble in water, they are incorporated as encapsulated compounds bound to a protein or as a nano-emulsion. There are studies reported to prove that mineral -rich water can contribute to mineral balance and overall nutrition.
Calcium fortification of potable water
Functions of Calcium:
Compounds used in fortification:
Magnesium fortification of potable water
Functions of Magnesium:
Compounds used in fortification:
Iron fortification of potable water
Functions of Iron:
Compounds used in fortification:
The body prefers to use ferrous iron rather than ferric iron. Most commonly used iron salts in water fortification include ferrous tartarate/succinate/gluconate/citrate/fumarate/sulphate/lactate and ferrous amino chelates. Ascorbic acid forms a very stable and bioavailable complex with ferrous iron. Iron compounds may add some metallic taste to the water. However, if they are added to water sources through encapsulation or binding to a stable compound or chelation with a ligand that prevents iron from freely flowing in the water, it helps in elimination of the metallic taste. Adding ferrous amino chelates to water provides a highly bioavailable fortified water without metallic taste. The ligand to metal ratio is 2:1 (1). Many studies have proven that Iron-enriched safe drinking water is a practicable, affordable and efficient method to reduce incidences of iron-deficiency anemia in low-income communities (2). The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among children aged 6 to 74 months is reported to be high. Thus, the effect fortification of water with iron and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was evaluated in a study at a day-care centre in Brazil. The water was fortified with 5 mg of elemental iron and 50 mg of ascorbic acid (vit C) per litre. The fortified water was used for drinking and cooking at the day care centre. After 5 months, it was found that the prevalence of anemia in children under study decreased significantly from 29.3% before fortification of water to 7.9% at the end of the study. There was a significant increase in the haemoglobin levels (3).
Zinc fortification of drinking water
Functions of Zinc
Compounds used in fortification
Fibre fortification of potable water
Functions of fibre
Fibre in food acts like a scrubber. It aids in cleansing the body of built-up toxins. It forms bulk of the waste generated in the body and prevents constipation. It can also help to curb satiation, thus reducing instances of obesity. It aids in prevention of cancer and heart diseases.
There is a segment of population that consumes only animal-based food which is devoid of fibres. They suffer from colon cancer & other digestive problems. Fibre-fortified water would be very helpful for such population. Several studies are emerging where water is fortified with soluble fibre to prevent major ailments. In hospitals, for tube feeding patients, this fibre-rich water can contribute to the dietary requirement of fiber. Fibre-water formulations need to take care of the micro-granulated form and pungent after taste reported by the trial population during the studies (5).
Based on a 2005 report released by WHO on Nutrients in Drinking Water, many geographical studies have been conducted on minerals in drinking water and their relationship to diseases, the status of deficiency and health consequences are still largely unknown. Further, mineral bioavailability differs during our lifecycle (6). Various studies have proven that water fortification has made a major contribution in better intake of vitamins and minerals. However, there is a great scope of conducting more authentic, collaborative research studies and generate scientific data of beneficial effects of water enrichment on human heath by both food as well as medical industry. It would certainly benefit the mankind and prevent various nutritional disorders, especially in marginal or poor communities worldwide.
NICHEM is developing unique water enrichment media for gravity and water filters to enrich drinking water with beneficial elemental ions. Notable technical solutions include Calcium Doser, Magnesium Doser, Copper Doser, Silver Doser, Alkaline Booster, pH Booster etc. They are based on high-surface area ion exchange resins which dose the required elements in the water in a controlled manner at a desired flow rate. The concentration of ions can be customized depending on the available water quality of the region. These are designed to dose the ions as per the guidelines of drinking water laid down by the WHO for human consumption. These media are also available as ready-to-use cartridges which can be used in domestic as well as industrial applications.
References:
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/impact-of-water-fortification-with-calcium-on-calcium-intake-in-different-countries-a-simulation-study/4D8A88D2DD1DDD5D320F4D76AACD55E9
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-40600-z.
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224970336_Effectiveness_of_Fortification_of_Drinking_Water_with_Iron_and_Vitamin_C_in_the_Reduction_of_Anemia_and_Improvement_of_Nutritional_Status_in_Children_Attending_Day-Care_Centers_in_Belo_Horizonte_Brazi?enrichId=rgreq-171ebcc40627f51eea2c0597e24438bd-XXXandenrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzIyNDk3MDMzNjtBUzoxODU4MzExODQ2NzQ4MThAMTQyMTMxNzAxNTc4Ng%3D%3Dandel=1_x_2and_esc=publicationCoverPdf
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916522065388
- https://ijpras.com/storage/models/article/OJyo7VzpvvwdFgBhksKmgCf8masbKp67hTfeiOmcauWrgvkSv6S75sx16Waw/to-assess-the-acceptability-of-fibre-fortified-drinking-water.pdf
- https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/43403/9241593989_eng.pdf
