• Description of Mineral Water..
Mineral waters are hot and cold underground waters which form naturally under suitable geological conditions in various depths of the Earth’s crust, and have minimum 1000 mg/liter of solved minerals and/or trace elements as well as carbon dioxide and radioactive element within their structure and spontaneously come to the Earth’s surface or are extracted through relevant technical methods.
• Formation of Mineral Water..
FORMATION OF MINERAL WATER
- Surface waters such as rain and snow waters set out on a long journey by leaking to depths from chasms and cracks of graywackes (Figure-1). Such journeys of waters take a long period of time like 10 years, even 100 years. Such waters being filtered into depths are stored in the greywacke defined as reservoir. Waters in the reservoir comes to the Earth surface in the form of spring by moving upwards from the easiest way (generally through fault lines and hydrothermal canals) with the effect of pressure and temperature in the reservoir. Waters include into their structure some different minerals from various types of graywackes which they touch by leaking into underground and coming out upwards. So they become mineral waters. And the most important feature distinguishing mineral waters from other waters is that mineral waters contain at least an indication of which graywackes such mineral waters have touched with. Foe instance, any mineral water which is rich of calcium and bicarbonate may be described in the form of that it might be coming out from a reservoir of limestone.
- It is known that hot and cold mineral waters are of the same origin in general or the temperatures of cold mineral waters fall down because of conductive cooling (loss of heat) and/or that they are originated from the mixture of cold underground waters at various ratios (Castany, 1969).
- Mineral waters are generally available over the same group of faults with hot water spring of in vicinity of geothermal area and within the same system of fracture. Although mineral waters forming just near hot waters do not contain much more CO2, they exhibit a chemical composition similar to those of hot waters. However, as long as the distance between them increases, they are considerably affected due to mixture, they exhibit a thinned composition as compared to hot waters (Truesdell 1991).
- Formation of mineral waters realizes in such a way that they come out of the Earth’s surface along with narrower fractures and cracks as compared to hot waters and by logging much more distance. The rising up in the form of hydrothermal duct in general realizes at low rates of formation.
• The Reasons Why the Consumption of Mineral Water is Much More in Europe..
One of the reasons why mineral water is preferred instead of normal drinking water in Europe is that the diminishing level of minerals in soil is the effect to vegetables. When the minerals that we take from fruits and vegetables which do not take adequate minerals from soil are not enough, this deficiency may be compensated by drinking mineral water.
Furthermore, it is made use of mineral water as a support for a healthy life by making agriculture using genetically processed seeds instead of the agriculture of vegetables – fruits.
Due to the suspicion of that the drinking water networks are gradually dirtied and invaded by microorganisms, the consumption of mineral water has been increasing day by day especially in Europe.
Mineral water is also chosen to be consumed because of its peculiarities providing beauty and youth.
Experts strongly recommend at least 1 liter of mineral water to be drunk because it naturally contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphate and sodium which are main minerals which human body needs.
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• Your Skin and Mineral Water..
 Mineral water is a cheap elixir for beauty. The mineral water thus drunk will provide the water that human body needs as well as tautness and smoothness. As long as mineral water is drunk, the skin will not appear as tired, pale and wizened. Mineral water is not only makes beautiful and also tightens the skin and provides a vigorous appearance.
When mineral water is daubed onto the skin, its refreshing effect is felt in a very short time, and “rejuvenates”. Because it stimulates small blood vessels and skin blood circulation. Therefore, when mineral water being absorbed to a piece of cotton is daubed onto the face and neck, it provides the skin to have a fresh and vigorous appearance within several minutes.
• Usage of Mineral Water by Pregnant, Infants and Children..
Mineral water is easily used at every age. When supplementary nutrition is applied together with suck in infants, if some mineral water is added to baby foods, the support of mineral is supplied to infants. And mineral water is highly useful for pregnants and children as well.
Pregnancy is a period when it should be paid utmost attention in particular. Human body needs much more foods, liquids, minerals and vitamins than normal in order to feed babies and to provide their healthy growth. To ensure this contribution in a natural way, regular consumption of mineral water is recommended during pregnancy.
Children at adolescence need much more minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, fluoride; therefore they should consume abundant milk and natural mineral water for enabling to meet this need. Even giving mineral water to babies is also recommended. And the most important problem during pregnancy is nutrition. Since human body needs much more minerals in order to feed babies and to provide their healthy growth, regular consumption of natural mineral water being rich in respect of minerals at pregnancy is strongly recommended.
And during adolescence for the purpose of treatment, mineral water is advised in terms of supporting the growth of bones and teeth.
• Mineral Water does not spoil after the Date of Expiry..
Mineral water does not certainly spoil when the cover of its bottle is not opened. The only one reason why the date of expiry is printed on the products is carbon dioxide gas leaks out from the covers and packs and the amount of this gas reduces when a given period of time has elapsed after the filling process..
• Benefits of Mineral Water for Health..
Mineral water, thanks to minerals which it contains, arranges the concentration of human body’s various electrolytes, and particularly balances the density of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphate. These minerals actively participate in and arrange the organism’s biochemical reactions.
According to the research made;
Thanks to the consumption mineral waters the magnesium of which is high, the frequency of observing sudden deaths in association with heart decreases; and in addition, prostate and breast cancer is rarely observed.
Accumulation of fat and calcium in vein, which results from the deficiency of magnesium, causes arteriosclerosis; magnesium is a cation that is available in cell most intensively as followed by potassium. Cell membrane is effective in many biological events within cell and cell nucleus, and provides the transmission of electrical stimulations in muscles and nerves. Calcium and magnesium helps the regular working of veins and muscles. Mineral water the magnesium contents of which are high protect the balance of magnesium which has got spoilt due to extreme stress of human body.
Calcium helps the arrangement of bone structure as well as of muscular contractions, and transmission of nervous stimulations, and the exchange of ions in cell membranes, and the secreting of hormones, digestive enzymes and neurotransmitters. It prevents the losses and fractures of bones as related with age.
Mineral waters which are rich of calcium provides the support of adequate calcium in the prevention and treatment of osteolysis at women during menopause and at older men as well as may be preferred in respect of supporting the growth of bones and teeth during the period of adolescence for the purpose of treatment. Since it contains fluoride, it prevents tooth decays at children in particular.
And, with its high content of bicarbonate, it presses the surplus of acid and the surplus of stomach acid in the stomach diseases developing with burning and acidity, and plays an important role in the treatment of peptic ulcer, and has the effect of supporting diabetes and arranging blood pressure.
And sulphate helps the regular working of liver, gall bladder and tracks as well as of large intestine, is good for constipation. Mineral waters containing calcium and magnesium are also effective in preventing the complaints such as diarrhea developing as result of stress
 • We are in Glass Bottle. Because..
The reason why PET bottles are not preferred in respect of health is that they give undesirable taste and odor, and that their shelf life is shorter than that of glass bottles..
• Diet and Mineral Water..
Mineral water is also an important source for meeting mineral deficiencies of the women going on a diet, and eliminates unnecessary salt in the body.
While ordinary water remains 6 hours in the body, mineral water is ejected from the body within 2 hours..
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• Difference Between Soda and Mineral Water..
Natural mineral water is fully water which has no additives. And soda is water which is completely different from mineral water and obtained by compressing carbon dioxide gas during the production of completely “artificial” beverages from water.
Mineral water, together with all the elements and carbon dioxide which it contains, comes out of the Earth’s surface by finding its way through cracks underground. And soda is a beverage which is fully “soda” and obtained by compressing carbon dioxide into water and beverages made of water during production.
Mineral water comes out from the deepest layers of the Earth. It bears geological peculiarities
of the places wherefrom it comes out of the Earth’ surface by means of pressure of carbon dioxide which it takes from magma. While coming out of the Earth’s surface, they travel by taking the minerals from the layers where they pass through. For this reason it is a natural beverage being rich of minerals.
All mineral waters are naturally rich of minerals.
• Sports and Mineral Water..
 It may be made use of mineral water in order to compensate the loss of water and minerals after any sports.
So, the body water thus lost is substituted, and the increasing muscle and cell metabolism is supported with adequate amount of minerals, and the water-electrolyte balance of vital importance is protected.
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• Potential of Mineral Water in Our Country..
Regional distribution of Sources and/or Group of Sources (Figure)
Due to the fact that Turkey is the Alps-Himalaya geothermal belt which is one of the important geothermal belts in the world, it is amongst the countries which are rich in terms of mineral waters. The areas in Turkey where mineral waters are available are the zones of fractures at the edge of Paleozoic massifs. Furthermore, the formation of significance heat source by the efficient Quaternary – Upper Tarsier volcanism.
The areas of mineral waters in Turkey have developed depending on their graben structures generally in the Aegean Region, and due to the alteration which the Anatolian Plate exposed to with the impact of Neotectonism in the Central and Eastern Regions. There are important geothermal areas in the North Anatolian Fault Zone taking place in the Anatolian Plate and the active opening structures based on this as well as in the depths of sedimentary basins in Marmara and South-East Regions; hence, at the same time, there are abundant mineral waters in the areas (Figure 2).
Figure 3: Distribution of nos. of mineral water
springs in Turkey according to the regions
- 76 nos. in North Anatolia
- 67 nos. in East Anatolia
- 51 nos. in Central Anatolia
- 18 nos. in Aegean
- 7 nos. in Marmara
- 3 nos. in Mediterranean
- 3 nos. in South-East Anatolia
The flow of mineral water sources is estimated to be 63.331.000 liters/day. When this figure is considered on basis of production, it corresponds to 100 billion bottles per annum (Whereas, the production of mineral water was 1.700.000.000 bottles. In the other words, it means that we have been hardly evaluating 10% of our potential. The remaining 90% potential runs in vain.)
* There are 225 nos. mineral waters springs and/or groups of springs in our country.
Regional distribution of such mineral water springs according to their flows is as follows:
• Comparison of the Consumption in Our Country with those in the European Countries..
Despite we are rich in respect of mineral water sources, unfortunately our consumption of mineral water is highly less. Although there are many reasons for such less consumption of mineral waters, the most important reason is that mineral water is not enough introduced.
The Turkish people know mineral water as a beverage facilitating digestion only and use the same as a type of medicine. As a result of the studies and researches made by MASUDER (shortly in Turkish for the Association of Turkish Mineral Water Producers) representing the sector, and because of the effect of the pushing the mineral waters with aroma into market as a variety of products, it has been observed that there is an important increase in the consumption of mineral water. However, as will be seen in the following table, it is understood that our consumption of mineral waters are very lower when compared to those of the developed countries.
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COUNTRY
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Annual Consumption
(in liters) per capita
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Italy
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158
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Mexico
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139
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Belgium
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124
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France
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116
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Germany
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100
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Spain
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99
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Switzerland
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96
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Austria
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78
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Portugal
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43
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Ireland
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20
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The Netherlands
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18
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Turkey
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6
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The objective as determined by the sector of mineral waters is to rise up to 12 liters by increasing the annual consumption per capita of mineral waters by 100% in the year 2010. It is not difficult at all to reach this objective thanks to the works being performed for future purpose. Two examples as given here below will evidence this in the best way.
The consumption of mineral waters in Germany, which was 12.5 liters in Germany in 1970, increased to 39,6 liters in 1980 and to 92,7 liters in 1990 and to 98,6 in 2000.
The consumption of mineral waters in Switzerland, which was 39,6 liters in 1990, increased to 69.2 liters in 1990 and to 97.3 liters in 2000.
And in our country, the consumption of mineral waters, which was 2.5 liters in 2003, raised up to 5 liters by increasing 100% by the end of 2oo5. In the case where such increase continues will be able to easily achieved the said objective of 12 liters.
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• Chemical Peculiarities of Mineral Waters in Our Country..
Majority of mineral waters in our country is of HCO3 in type. However, Mg-HCO3 and NaSO4 types of mineral waters are also encountered. pH values and temperatures of such mineral waters vary between 5,38 – 8,79 and 10oC – 27oC respectively.
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