ICS 67.160.20  
X 60  
NATIONAL STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA  
GB 8537 -200x  
  Replaces GB 8537 -1995  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Potable natural mineral water  
 
(Draft Submitted for Approval)  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
Announced XX -XX-200X    Effective XX -XX-200X  
 
Gen eral Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the 
People's Republic of China  
Announced by:  
Standardization Administration of China   GB 8537 —200X  
 
Foreword  
 
 Chapter 3  sections 5.2 and 8.1.1 of the present standard consist of m andatory clauses. The remainder are 
recommendations.  
 The present standard references Codex Alimentarius Commission  (CAC) CODEX STAN 108 -1981, Rev 1 -19971 “Codex 
Standard for Natural Mineral Waters.”  
 The present standard is a revision of GB 8537 -1995 “ Potable natural mineral water .” 
 The present standard replaces GB 8537 -1995.  
 The present standard changes GB 8537 -1995 primarily with respect to the following:  
 --changes “entire text is mandatory” to “mandatory clauses;”  
 --improves the definition of potabl e natural mineral water ; 
 --adds product classifications;  
 --deletes specific clauses of the water source requirements and applies GB/T 13727 “Specifications for natural mineral 
water -related geological exploration;”  
 --removed 1 boundary measure  (bromide) ; 
 --added 4 limits  (antimony , manganese, nickel, bromate), revised 4 limit s (cadmium, arsenic, boron, fluoride), and deleted 4 
limit s (lithium, strontium, iodide, zinc);  
 --added 2 pollutant measures (anionic synthetic detergent, mineral oil) and revised 1 measure (nitrite);  
 --added 3 microbe measures ( faecal  streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Clostridium perfringens) and deleted 1 
measure (total colony count);  
 --deleted Annex A and changed Annex B to Annex A.  
 
 Annex A of the present standard is  an informational annex.  
 
 The present standard was put forward by the China National Light Industry Council.  
 The present standard is under the jurisdiction of the National Beverages Standardisation Technical Committee.  
 The main entities involved in draf ting the present standard: China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation 
Industries, Institute for Environment and Health -related Product Safety of the Chinese Centre  for Disease Control and Prevention, 
China Institute for Geo -environmental Mo nitoring, Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Centre  for Disease Control 
and Prevention, Natural Mineral Water Division of the China Beverage Industry Association, Haikou Yeshu Mineral Water Co., Ltd., and 
Shenzhen Danone Yili Drinks Co. , Ltd.  
 The main authors of the present standard: Guo Xinguang, Cao Zhaojin, Tian Tingshan, Liu Xiumei, Kang Yongpu, Chen Jun, 
Wen Wanlong, Tian Qijing, Du Zhong, and Xu Fang.  
 
 The previously announced versions replaced by the present standard:  
 --GB 8537 -1987 and GB  8537 -1995  
 
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1 Revised 2001   
GB 8537 —200X  
 
Potable natural mineral water  
 
1 Scope  
 
 The present standard specifies the product classifications, requirements, test inspection , inspection rules, marking, 
packaging, transportation, and storage of potable natur al mineral water . 
The present standard applies to the production, inspection and sale of potable natural mineral water . 
 
2 Cited regulatory documents  
 
 The clauses in the documents below become clauses of the present standard by virtue of being cited by th e present 
standard. If a date is indicated for a cited document, no subsequent revision sheet (not including corrigenda) or amended 
version shall apply to the present standard. Nevertheless, the parties to agreements based on the present standard are 
encou raged to study whether the most recent versions of these documents can be used. If no date is indicated for a cited 
document, then the most recent version applies to the present standard.  
 GB 7718   General standard for the labelling  of pre-packaged  foods  
 GB/T 8538  Methods for examination of potable natural mineral water  
 GB/T 13727  Specifications for natural mineral water -related geological exploration  
 GB 16330   Specifications for potable natural mineral water production plants  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
 
 The terms and definitions below apply to the present standard.  
 
3.1  
 Potable natural mineral water  
 Water that naturally wells up from deep within the earth or is extracted  from  there by drilling , that contains a certain 
amount of minerals, trace elements , or other constituents , and that, within a certain area, has not been polluted or has been 
protected from pollution through the adoption of preventive measures; under general conditions, its chemical composition, 
flow, and temperature trends are  relativel y stable  within the range of natural, cyclical  fluctuations . 
 
4 Product classifications  
 
 Classified according to carbon dioxide content in the product, as follows:  
 a) Naturally carbonated natural mineral water: Natural mineral water that, after packaging , has visible, same -source 
natural effervescence of carbon dioxide under normal temperature  and pressure.  
 b) Carbonated natural mineral water: Natural mineral water that, treated in accordance with the pro visions of 5.3.2, 
has been made effervescent after  the addition of carbon dioxide.  
 c) Non -carbonated natural mineral water: A natural mineral water that, after treatment in accordance with the 
provisions of 5.3.2 and after packaging, does not contain free carbon dioxide in excess of the carbon dioxide co ntent necessary 
to keep the hydrogen carbonate salts dissolved in the water.  
 d) Decarbonated natural mineral water: A natural mineral water that, after treatment in accordance with the 
provisions of 5.3.2 and after packaging, has no visible, natural effer vescence of carbon dioxide under normal temperature and 
pressure.  
 
5 Requirements  
 
5.1 Water source requirements  
 Water source geological survey evaluations, water source protection, and monitoring of water source geo logy shall be 
carried out in accordance  with GB/T 13727.  
5.2 Water quality requirements  
5.2.1  Sensory requirements  
 Shall comply with the specifications of Table 1.  
 
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GB 8537 —200X  
 
Table 1  Sensory requirements  
Item  Requirement  
Colour/ (degrees)    15 (no other colour may be present)  
Turbidity/ (NTU)    5 
Smell and taste   Has distinctive taste of mineral water, may not have abnormal odour  or taste  
Visible matter   Permitted to have a minute amount of natural mineral salt sediments, but 
may not c ontain other foreign matter  
 
5.2.2  Physical and chemical requirements  
 
5.2.2.1  Boundary measures  
 Shall comply with o ne (or more than one) measure specifi ed in  Table 2.  
Table 2  Boundary measures  
Item  Requirement  
Lithium/ (mg/L)   0.20  
Strontium/ (mg/L)   0.20 (when content is between 0.20 mg/L and 0.40 mg/L, water source water temperature shall be above 25 °C)  
Zinc/ (mg/L)   0.20  
Iodide/ (mg/L)   0.20  
Silicic acid/ (mg/L)   25.0 (when content is between 25.0 mg/L and 30.0 mg/L, water source water tem perature shall be above 25 °C)  
Selenium/ (mg/L)   0.01  
Free carbon dioxide/ (mg/L)   250 
Dissolved solids/ (mg/L)   1,000  
 
5.2.2.2  Limits  
 Shall comply with the specifications of Table 3.  
Table 3  Limits  
Item  Requirement  
Selenium (mg/L)  < 0.05  
Antimo ny (mg/L)  < 0.005  
Arsenic/ (mg/L)  < 0.01  
Copper/ (mg/L)  < 1.0 
Barium/ (mg/L)  < 0.7 
Cadmium/ (mg/L)  < 0.003  
Chromium/ (mg/L)  < 0.05  
Lead/ (mg/L)  < 0.01  
Mercury/ (mg/L)  < 0.001  
Manganese/ (mg/L)  < 0.4 
Nickel/ (mg/L)  < 0.02  
Silver/ (mg/L)  < 0.05  
Bromate/ (mg/L)  < 0.01  
Borate (measured in B)/ (mg/L)  < 5 
Nitrate (measured in NO 3)/ (mg/L)  < 45 
Fluoride (measured in F)/ (mg/L)  < 1.5 
 
 
 
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GB 8537 —200X  
 
Oxygen uptake (measured in O 2)/ (mg/L)  < 3.0 
226Radium radioactivity/ (Bq/L)  < 1.1 
 
5.2.2.3  Pollutant measures  
 Shall comply with the specifications of Table 4.  
Table 4  Pollutant measures  
Item  Requirement  
Volatile phenol (measured in phenol)/ 
(mg/L)  < 0.002  
Cyanide (measured in CN)/ (mg/L)  < 0.10  
Anionic synthetic detergent/ (mg/L)  < 0.3 
Miner al oil/ (mg/L)  < 0.05  
Nitrite (measured in NO 2)/ (mg/L)  < 0.1 
Total  radiation/ (Bq/L)  < 1.50  
 
5.2.3  Microbe measures  
Shall comply with the specifications of Tables 5 and 6.  
Table 5  Microbe measures  
Item  Requirement  
Coliform group (MPN/100 mL)  0 
Faecal  streptococcus (cfu/250 mL)  0 
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (cfu/25 0 mL)  0 
Clostridium perfringens (cfu/50 mL)  0 
1. Sample 1 x 250 mL (for Clostridium perfringens, sample 1 x 50 mL), and conduct the first examination. Report as acceptable if 
the requirements of Table 5 are met.  
2. If a test result is greater than or equ al to 1 and less than 2, conduct the second examination on n samples in accordance with 
Table 6.  
3. If a test result is greater than or equal to 2, report as “unacceptable.”  
 
 
Table 6  Second examination  
Number of samples  Limit  Item  
n c m M 
Coliform gr oup 4 1 0 2 
Faecal  streptococcus  4 1 0 2 
Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa  4 1 0 2 
Clostridium 
perfringens  4 1 0 2 
Note:  
n: The number of samples taken from one lot of products.  
c: Maximum number of samples that may exceed m value. More than this number shall be judged unacceptable.  
m: Maximum  acceptable level  limit (cfu) per 250 mL (or 50 mL) sample.  
M: Unacceptable microbe limit (cfu) per 250 mL or (50 mL) sample; samples equals to or greater than M are unacceptable.  
 
5.3 Processing requirements  
 
5.3.1  Extracti on, processing, and bottl ing shall be carried out while ensuring source water hygiene and safety of natural 
mineral water and compliance with the provisions of GB 16330.  
 
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GB 8537 —200X  
 
5.3.2  Provided that the basic characteristics of, and the amounts o f the primary constituents in, potable natural mineral 
water in its source water state are not changed, it is permissible that: the water may undergo such methods as aeration, 
decantation, or filtration to remove unstable compounds; the same -source carbon dioxide be recovered and added ; that food 
additive carbon dioxide be added or that carbon dioxide be removed from the water.  
5.3.3  Containers may not be used to transport source water to another location for bottling.  
 
6 Inspection methods  
 
 Water quality requirements inspection shall be carried out in accordance with the methods in GB/T 8538.  
 The natural mineral water quality inspection report may be written in accordance with Annex A.  
 
7 Inspection rules  
 
7.1 Sampling  
 Number of samples randomly taken fr om each lot of products: No fewer than 10 bottles if product net content is less 
than 3 L; no fewer than 5  kegs if net product content is greater than or equal to 3 L. 
 
7.2 Pre-shipment  inspection  
7.2.1  Confirm product lot number in accordance with the ap propriate rules. As each lot of products is shipped from the 
plant, conduct sensory requirements tests and two microbe tests :  coliform group and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . 
7.2.2  At least one test for faecal  streptococcus and Clostridium perfringens shall be performed monthly.  
7.3 Comprehensive  inspection  
 
 All the items specified in the technical requirements of the present standard constitute the  comprehensive  inspection . 
They shall be performed at least once during the wet season and once during the dry sea son each year  or in the event of any of 
the following situations:  
 --when equipment is replaced or the production process undergoes a relatively major change;  
 --when restoring production after production has been suspended;  
 --when there is a major differ ence between pre-shipment  inspection results and the normal records;  
 --when water quality undergoes a relatively large fluctuation.  
 
7.4 Decision  rules  
 
 If an inspect ed item does not comply with the requirements of the present standard, the number of sam ples taken 
from the product lot shall be doubled, and the failed item shall be re -inspected, with the re -inspection results being decisive. If 
a re-inspected item still includes a failed sample, then assess this lot of products as unacceptable products. Mi crobe measure 
inspections and decision s are carried out in accordance with the provisions of 5.2.3.  
 
8 Marking, packaging, transportation and storage  
 
8.1 Marking  
 
8.1.1  Pre-packaging  labels shall, in addition to complying with the relevant provisions of G B 7718, comply with the 
requirements below:  
 --label with  the name of the water source location of the natural mineral water;  
 --label with  the boundary measures  by which the product qualified , the total dissolved solid content, and the content 
ranges of t he main positive ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+); 
 --when fluorine content is greater than 1.0 mg/L, label with the words “Contains fluorine;”  
 --label with product type, perhaps with an attributive form used directly before the product name, e.g.: “Natural ly 
carbonated mineral water;” or label with  the product name “Natural Mineral Water,” with the  product category labelled below: 
naturally carbonated or carbonated. The product category does not need to be labelled in the case of “non -carbonated” and 
“de-carbonated” natural mineral water.  
8.1.2  The label may not claim therapeutic effects unless reviewed and approved by the departments concerned of the state.  
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GB 8537 —200X  
 
8.2 Packaging  
 
8.2.1  Packaging materials shall comply with the relevant hygiene st andard requirements of the state.  
8.2.2  The exterior of packaging containers (bottles, kegs) shall remain clean, be tightly sealed, be free of seepage, and have 
a label that adheres tightly and firmly.  
 
8.3 Transportation  
 
8.3.1  Means of transportation sha ll be kept in clean and hygienic condition. Products may not be loaded and transported 
together with toxic, hazardous, corrosive, volatile, or odoriferous materials.  
8.3.2  Handle the products carefully during shipment. Throwing, striking, or squeezing the product is strictly prohibited.  
8.3.3  Avoid exposure to s un, rain, dampness, or freezing during transportation.  
 
8.4 Storage  
 
8.4.1  Do not store the product in the same storage area with toxic, hazardous, corrosive, volatile, or odoriferous materials.  
8.4.2 The product shall be stored in a cool, dry, ventilated warehouse. Do not stack outdoors, expose to sun or rain, or 
place near a heat source.  
8.4.3  Adopt measures to prevent freezing when transporting and storing below zero degrees Celsius.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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GB 8537 —200X  
 
Annex A  
(Informational Annex)  
Potable Natural Mineral Water Quality Inspection Report  
 
 Name of spring       Sample taken on  
 Spring code       Sample delivered on  
 Sampling location       Inspection date  
 Water temperature °C      Report date  
Ions  (B) / 
(mgL-1) c (1/z Bz±) / 
(mmolL-1) x (1/z 
Bz±) / %  Item   (B) / 
(mgL-1)   (B) / 
(mgL-1) 
K+    Dissolved solids   Barium   
Na+    Silicic acid   Chromium   
Ca2+    Free carbon 
dioxide   Lead   
Mg2+    Lithium   Antimony   
Fe2+ + Fe3+    Strontium   Manganese   
Positive ions  
Total     Iodide   Nickel   
HCO 3-    Zinc  Cobalt   
CO 32-    Selenium   Vanadium   
Cl-    Copper   Aluminium   
SO 42-    Arsenic   Silver   
F-    Mercury   Volatile 
phenol   
No 3-    Cadmium   Cyanide   
Borate   Nitrite   
Negative ions  
Total     
Bromide   Bromate   
Matter visible to the 
naked eye  Total hardness 
(measured using CaC O3)     mg/L  Coliform group  MPN/100 
mL Oxygen uptake  mg/L  
Colour  Total alkalinity 
(measured using CaCO3)  mg/L  Faecal 
streptococcu s cfu/250 
mL Anionic 
synthetic 
detergent  mg/L  
Turbidity  Total acidity (measured 
using CaCO3)  mg/L  Pseudomonas 
aeruginosa  cfu/250 
mL Mineral oil  mg/L  
Smell and taste    Clostridium 
perfringens  cfu/50 
mL 226Radium  Bq/L  
pH     Total   Bq/L  
Inspection concl usion   
 
   
 
 
 
   
Issued on    year     month     day  
Remarks      
Approved     Checked    Compiled  
 
 
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