DEVELOPING PRACTICAL SKILLS IN THE ORGANOLEPTIC ANALYSIS OF DRINKING WATER AMONG FUTURE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Summary In the current context, providing the population with high-quality drinking water is a crucial task for ensuring safety and well-being. Individuals typically assess water quality using their own senses – that is, by conducting an organoleptic analysis. However, the methods taught in higher education institutions are often purely theoretical or fail to fully account for standardized assessment criteria and external factors. There is a lack of a clear, unified, and well-structured methodology that would enable students to objectively evaluate the organoleptic properties of drinking water in accordance with modern sanitary regulations and state standards.

The purpose is to substantiate, develop, and experimentally verify a methodology for conducting a chemistry laboratory session focused on developing students' practical skills in determining and evaluating the odor, taste, and aftertaste of drinking water using a five-point scale.

The following research methods were employed: theoretical analysis of scientific-methodological and chemical-technological literature, as well as regulatory acts, to establish the study's theoretical framework. Empirical (practical) methods included chemical experiments and organoleptic (sensory) analysis conducted at various temperatures.

Materials for the laboratory exercise were developed, and clear criteria and a scoring scale for odor and taste intensity (ranging from 0 to 5 points) were established, along with a classification of taste characteristics (sour, salty, sweetish, bitter). It has been experimentally demonstrated that heating water to 60°C enhances the volatility of substances, enabling the more precise detection of foreign odors that are virtually imperceptible at room temperature.

The scientific novelty of the research findings lies in the novel proposal to combine a classical chemical approach with elements of sensory analysis – specifically tasting – as an interactive teaching method that fosters student interest and the development of their environmental competence.

The author's conclusions and specific proposals demonstrate that the developed methodology serves as an effective tool for building practical chemistry skills. It clearly illustrates the relationship between the chemical composition of water – specifically the presence of dissolved salts and other substances—and its organoleptic properties.