Great tasting drinks are normally associated with high sugar content which is known to be a major contributor in obesity. In order to tackle this issue, we must look into why sugar has to be added to drinks in the first place.
Researchers at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) and University of Sheffield found that the water purification process known as Reverse Osmosis reduces the pH values of water to 6.1 or lower—compared to a neutral pH level of 7. Additionally, reducing the pH in water makes the water more acidic.
Reverse Osmosis removes dissolved salt ions and unwanted bacteria from drinking water by a pressurized filter system through a thin membrane sheet. This water purification process increases the acidity through an uptake of carbon dioxide, which produces a bitter and salty taste. Bio-analytical Chemical Pathology Professor at DMU, Martin Grootveld notes that sugar masks the acidity and bitterness in drinks, rather than improving the flavor. Plus, the addition of sugar further increases the acidity level in the drinks. Professor Martin Grooveld found that some drinks had a highly acidic pH level of 2.5.
So, how can we make good tasting water without a need to add sugar? The Water Enhancing Technology (W.E.T.) Group have developed an AER machine that produces a super-premium alkaline water through a special filtration process that stabilizes the pH of water at 10.5. The director of research and development at W.E.T. Group, Dr. Ahmed Abbas Mohamed states that maintaining the alkalinity and basicity in water does not only enhance the taste of the water but also eliminates the need to add sugar. Interestingly, a higher pH value shows no microbial growth when exposed to ambient and abusive conditions. Through extensive clinical trial studying blood, urine, and saliva samples taking from participants who consumes higher pH water, researchers at DMU confirmed that the treated water is safe for human consumption. And so, increasing the alkalinity and pH in water to a safe consumable amount eliminates the need to add sugar, which masks the bitterness and saltiness in drinks.