Mineral water is natural water collected from water sources close to the mountain ranges and subject to filtration to remove impurities. Brands like Himalaya have water purification plants located close to the Himalayan mountains. They purify the water by passing it through layers of Himalayan rock to add or replenish essential minerals. This water is not subjected to any RO water purification because the water source is pure and does not have high TDS levels.
Himalaya mineral water is slightly alkaline because it contains essential minerals like zinc, calcium, potassium, and magnesium that improve the alkalinity quotient and take the pH to over 7. However, it does not qualify as alkaline water.
How mineral water differs from RO water
RO water is purified through the RO mechanism, where the water from any source is passed through various purification stages, including the RO membrane, to eliminate harmful TDS and other impurities. The RO-purified water has no essential minerals because the RO purification process removes all essential minerals with the TDS.
Therefore, water purifier manufacturers use various techniques to restore the lost minerals to RO-purified water. Kent uses the TDS controller method, where RO-purified water is mixed with purified source water but not subjected to RO treatment. This process restores the lost minerals and enhances the water taste. Other manufacturers, like LivPure, etc., use mineralizer cartridges through which the RO-purified water passes to collect the lost minerals.
So, RO water is not mineral water because the water source is universal and not restricted to places close to the mountains that have water filled with natural minerals. The primary difference between RO water and mineral water is that mineral water is not subjected to RO water purification. It is purified and filtered at water plants using other processes like passing the water through mineralized rocks.
