Validation of the shelf life of NAFDAC-certified sachet-packed drinking water brands vended in Nigeria.

Abstract

This study was performed to validate the shelf life of commercial sachet-packed drinking water produced in the Benin City metropolis, Edo State, Nigeria. Seven brands of sachet-packed water that were freshly produced by manufacturers were collected from respective factories and subjected to standard physicochemical and microbial tests. The colour of all water brands (0.0 - 5.6 HU) was within the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) (≤ 15 HU) while the temperature (26.9 - 28.4 o C) was above the limits recommended by WHO (≤ 25.0°C). The pH reported in brands 1 and 6 at week 8 of storage was below WHO recommended limits (6.5 - 9.5). At week 8 of storage, brands 1 and 6 had HPC (3.97 - 4.70 log10 CFU ml-1 ) that were above WHO/National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recommended limits (≤ 2 log10 CFU ml-1 ) while TCC (<1 MPN 100 ml-1 ) in all brands were within recommended limits (≤ 10 MPN 100 ml-1 ). No thermo-tolerant Coliforms and Cryptosporidium were present in all brands; though, Streptococcus faecalis was detected in brand 6. Based on WHO/NAFDAC specifications for the examined parameters, brands 1 and 6 were inferred to not comply with the recommended shelf life of two months (approximately eight weeks). Hence there is a need for strict compliance to NAFDAC-specified Good Manufacturing Practice by these processing factories to prevent probable adverse health effects. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In Nigeria, there is a dearth of information on the shelf life of commercially packaged drinking water as specified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Based on the NAFDAC specification of two months shelf life for sachet-packed drinking water, there is a 29% likelihood of non-shelf life compliance amongst processing factories in Benin City, Nigeria.