ABSTRACT
Water is used to produce, process, and under certain conditions store food. Water is also used as an ingredient in many processed foods. Contaminants can find their way into food products via water as a carrier. Therefore, the quality of water influences the quality of food greatly. Only potable water should be used in food handling, formulation, and processing, except for steam production, operations where water is not in contact with food, and in certain processes provided that direct contact between water and food does not constitute a hazard to safety, e.g., chilling with clean seawater [1]. Potable water should meet the specifications in World Health Organization (WHO) or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for drinking water quality. Some of the key values are listed in Table 1.
