![]() A value of 0 means there is absolutely no available water, this is very rare in food. The water activity is a value between 0 and 1. Water activity is a measure for the amount of available water. This is where water activity, often abbreviated as a w, comes in. Microorganisms can’t use it to facilitate their growth, nor can it diffuse or migrate throughout your food. Sugar, for instance, is known to hold onto water and so does salt. Some of the water may be bound by other ingredients in your product for instance, and as a result, isn’t free. ![]() Instead, for certain applications, you need to know how much water is ‘available’. However, knowing how much water is in your food isn’t always sufficient. You might need to take into account some evaporation, but generally, basic math will suffice. If you know the water content of the ingredients that make up the product, you can calculate the water content of the overall mixture of these ingredients. The weight loss during drying represents how much water was present. If you don’t know what it is, can determine it by drying the food. Knowing how much water your food contains is relatively simple. We have separate articles discussing the importance of water activity for the growth of microorganisms and the impact of w ater activity on moisture migration. Note: This is a general introduction to water activity. And whereas the two are related, they are not the same! We’ll be diving into the theory of water activity to explain what it really is. Some may think that the water activity represents the amount of water in food. For any food scientist, water activity plays an important role in developing and improving food products.īut water activity may be a somewhat abstract concept to some. And it sounds more complicated than it is: water activity. It’s what explains why your pie crust turns soggy over time. It is one of the most important parameters when determining the shelf life of foods.
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