Regulations

Art.1 - Definizione e caratteristiche di un'acqua minerale

1. Natural mineral waters are waters which, originating from an underground aquifer or deposit, come from one or more natural or drilled springs and which have particular hygienic characteristics and properties favorable to health.
2. Natural mineral waters are distinguished from ordinary drinking water by their original purity and conservation, by the content of minerals, trace elements and/or other constituents and by their effects. They must be kept away from any risk of pollution.
3. The characteristics referred to in the previous paragraphs must be assessed on the basis of:
   • geological and hydrogeological;
   • organoleptic, physical, physicochemical and chemical;
   • microbiological;
   • pharmacological, clinical and physiological.
4. The composition, temperature and other natural mineral waters essential characteristics must remain constant at the source within the ambit of natural variations, even following any flow rate variations.

Natural mineral water is characterized by its origin from a deep, protected and uncontaminated deposit. It is bacteriologically pure at its origin, not subjected to disinfection treatments and periodically checked both by the Health Authority and by the Self-Control System of the companies holding the extraction mining concessions.

Each mineral water identity is established by the constant content of the salts dissolved in it, which give it specific chemical-physical properties. They can in fact be classified on the basis of their fixed residue (amount of mineral salts dissolved in one liter of water measured after evaporation at 180°C, expressed in milligrams/litre):

• minimally mineralized (fixed residue < 50mg/l)
• oligominerals (Fixed Residue between 50 and 500 mg/l)
• medium minerals (Fixed Residue between 500 and 1500 mg/l)
• rich in mineral salts (fixed residue > 1500 mg/l)