Hi everyone!
I was hoping someone might be able to help me. We produce still bottled mineral water and have lately been experiencing some issues with the smell of the product. This is a little out of my depth, as the issue lies with the PET bottles and not with the water itself.
We use water from an underground aquifer, which is then undergoes reverse osmosis treatment, and then bottled. However recently we have found that the bottled water has an extreme plastic smell when opened - often so strong that it overpowers the taste as well, making one think the water tastes like plastic.
We blow mold our own bottles at our facility. The bottles are used on the First In First Out rotation system - but for every fresh batch of bottled water produced we experience the plastic smell.
I am no expert in packaging and have researched it a bit, but it seems to me that mostly the issue arises when bottled water has been standing for quite some time (mostly when exposed to direct sunlight) and not very soon after bottling as in our case. We taste our water after approximately one or two days on the floor (no exposure to sunlight).
Are there any packaging experts or others who might be able to assist as to why this could be occurring? Could it have something to do with the temperatures at which the bottles are produced? Could the fact that the water has undergone revere osmosis have something to do with it?
This is definitely not a sweet smell as would be caused due to Acetaldehyde formation - we have had this before and resolved the issue.
I would really appreciate any assistance!
thank you, Anna :)