What is the Most Efficient Method to Test for Water Taste?

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What is the most efficient method to test for water taste during water analysis?

Some analysts might not be doing the right thing. Should they use oral and die or use an instrument and live?  Which instrument is appropriate?

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12 Answers

  1. TDS Meter ,   A TDS meter indicates the total dissolved solids of a solution, i.e. the concentration of dissolved solid particles. Dissolved ionized solids, such as salts and minerals, increase the electrical conductivity of a solution.

  2. Take a closer look to this: https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations

    NOM is know giving molt smell to water, and TOC is a good precursor - being an objective measurement - rather than an subjective tasting.

    Secondarily TOC is also measuring the sum of all carbon species - from e.g. dead-/living organisms, as well as from chemical compounds - and thus could be very actively be used to determine is potable and/or bottled water is safe to drink. Therefore the (US)EPA is obliging TOC as a standard measurement technology for safety & health reasons too!

    You can also find a lot on what our company Hach can provide you with to control water quality, such as i.e. TOC under: www.Hach.com 

    Best of luck!

  3. Standard Methods 2160 and 2170 are available for determining the procedure. The "taste" goal will need to be defined ahead of time. Such goals will vary by country and for example, threshold taste will depend on life experience. To start, the water should be tested to see if it passes drinking water rules.

  5. Hi Chinyenye,  I agree with Troy Davis that the human taste senses are the most adapt that we know of.  However it is generally thought that the tongue tastes only the basic flavours of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savoury), while the nose is able to identify far more flavours.  So a odour test by a panel of trained "sniffers" will go a long way without needing to use the mouth.  Some laboratories leave the samples in a warm bath for 24 hours before doing the sell test to encourage volatization of the tastes. However there are methods for determining  toxicity using instruments whereby living creatures (fish or daphnia) are  subjected to samples and their behaviour observed (the canary bird approach).  I think this is what Ajit was saying but his message came out a bit jumbled. With fish their activity will increase with toxicity and this can be monitored remotely in a continuous flow system.  There are some instruments that also measure toxicity chemically.

  6. Hi. Engr Justin. 

    We have heard of miners use a Canary Bird in spaces to test for foul gases, if not right.. the bird starts chirping .. thennit is QED thatcall is notcwell.. similarly there could be a variation of bio- assay test tobindicate potabilitybor pleasantness in taste etc.. well wishes .. 

  7. Dear friend. The extentvof TDS will indicate the extent of dissolved salts or minerals present in water which will present taste to water. The acceptable value of TDS is 500 mg/l as per WHO water quality standards. But since RO process almost eliminates the TDS, remineralisation is done by adding essential minerals to restore the mineral balance which will also give taste to water apart from adding hardness to it which makes it safe for the heart also. Apart from  testing for TDS, and orally tasting for taste, other tests may not be essential as taste is to a large extent subjective. 

  8. Hi. Engr. Justin.

    It would be apt to hsve both humsns to taste and upon some pertinent observation to expsnd by applying measurement tests as TON.. Odour.. H2S test etc.. 

    Humans from same or similar region to be employed to report on sampling..

    Well wishes 

    Prof Ajit aSeshadri. INDIS 

  9. The taste test is a subjective test done by people. I know of no instrument substitute. Taste and mouth feel combine to give an impression - the water is either acceptable or unpalatable. The Threshold Odor Number test, TON is also used to test whether the water will be acceptable to most consumers. In both tests, panels of people are used. Nonsmokers please!

    To address the 'oral and die' part we are talking about taste and TON analyses on water in a treatment facility. The raw water is normally put through the TON so that changes can be found early and treatment adjusted.  Sources containing toxic contaminants would not normally be used. Any case, nobody would taste the raw untreated water.

  10. As you know, water is a tasteless and odorless substance. I have not come across any such machines to test the taste. Certified persons are there to test coffee/tea etc.

    As per standard taste to be acceptable or unobjectionable which is normally done by humans.

    If it is such an harmful test, machines are required to test and certify all the eatables. 

    The extent of increased pollution rate  in this universe forces us to invent such instruments at the earliest.

    Combat pollution to leave a better planet to our future generation instead of adding instruments. 

     

  11. @Chinenye Justin Nwaogwugwu

    I am not trying to be sarcastic but isn't the best device for measuring taste the human tongue? If you know the contaminant causing bad taste (chlorine, sulfur, etc.) you could run analytical tests for each one, but taste is very subjective. Some people like having significant minerals in their water, while others prefer soft water.

  12. How to taste wine!

    1 Comment

    1. The testing of taste and odour as a monitoring parameter should form part on an on-site operational monitoring program. Determining taste and odour at a off-site laboratory, using complex analytical methods offers no benefits. There were lots and good practical comments under this blog and these should be used by the Process Controllers on site before the drinking water distributed into the network.