08 September 2016
Chemical Analysis of Steenbergs Organic Rose Water
We are often asked quite detailed technical questions about Steenbergs’ organic rose water. In particular:
- What type of water is used? Tap water
- Is the water distilled water? Yes
- Does the water contain pesticides or heavy metals? No
Steenbergs Organic Rose Water
Firstly, the rose water is organic and distilled from organic rose petals picked and processed in the Rose Valley of Bulgaria. It is certified as organic by Ceres, a German certification agency. So it is grown and processed in an organic way, however that (as many customers keep telling me) does not preclude contamination from other surrounding farmland, so see below.
Secondly, on the water itself, the water used is standard potable water, i.e. it’s not borehole water or the like, but a “tap water” and this meets EU government guidelines on drinking water.
However, in the process, the water is distilled through a double water-vapour distillation process – the first is a standard distillation through a still, and the second runs the distillate a second time but this time through a cohabation column. So in answer to the question, the water in the rose water is distilled.
This second distillation concentrates the flavour by roughly ten times, and is called “cohabation” – the rose oil tends to float on the top of the distillate so this second distillation dissolves more of this floral flavour into Steenbergs rose water. For reference: 1.4kg of fresh rose petals yields 1kg of rose water.
Thirdly, as for the possibility for contamination of the water, our most recent tests of the organic rose water are as below and they contain no pesticides, agrochemicals and the levels of heavy metals are well within guidelines:
| Steenbergs Organic Rose Water | UK Drinking Water Standards | What standard used? | |
| Pesticides | Not detected | 0.5 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Agrochemicals: | |||
| Nitrates | 0.4 mg/l | 50 mg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Nitrites | <0.01 mg/l | 0.50 mg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Plant treatments: | |||
| Chlorates | <2 µg/l | <10 µg/l | EU Recommendation 2015/682 |
| Perchlorates | <0.5 µg/l | <10 µg/l | EU Recommendation 2015/682 |
| Metals/heavy metals: | |||
| Aluminium | <2 µg/l | <200 µg/l | UK National Requirements |
| Arsenic | 1.40 µg/l | <10 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Cadmium | 0.01 µg/l | <5 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Copper | 0.09 mg/l | <2 mg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Iron | 37.06 µg/l | <200 µg/l | UK National Requirements |
| Lead | 5.62 µg/l | <10 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Manganese | 4.46 µg/l | <50 µg/l | UK National Requirements |
| Molybdenum | <0.03 µg/l | No standard | |
| Nickel | 4.05 µg/l | <20 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Selenium | 0.48 µg/l | <10 µg/l | EU Directive 98/83/EC |
| Zinc | 191.14 µg/l | No standard* |
*there is a complex proposed standard that proposes 10.9 bioavailable plus Ambient Background Concentration (μg/l) dissolved that I really don’t understand, while Australia and Canada have limits of 3 – 5 mg/l (5000 µg/l).
