SFA2063

Page of
FOOD CHEMISTRY LABORATORY PROCEDURE

EXPERIMENT: EFFECT OF MOISTURE AND WATER ACTIVITY ON

SHELFLIFE OF FOOD
1 3

EFFECT OF MOISTURE AND WATER ACTIVITY ON SHELF LIFE OF FOOD

OBJECTIVE

To determine the moisture content, water activity (Aw), and shelf life of foods, as well as to
comprehend the relationship between these properties.

INTRODUCTION

The water content of foods varies widely. Determination of water or moisture content is one of
the most important and most widely used measurements in food processing because of the
significance effect of water on the stability and quality of foods. The determination of moisture
content in food sample is very essential for a few reasons. We know that any process involved in
food manufacturing need raw ingredients. In order to verify the validity of the raw materials, a
few things need to be made sure of, including the moisture content. The higher the water content
in a food material, the more preservatives are required. This is due to the fact that most of the
microorganisms tend to grow rapidly in food with high water content. For this reason, many foods
with known high water content are dried to prevent its spoilage by the microorganisms. Excess
moisture in mixes can cause clumping and the moisture content will continue to increase during
storage, causing the product to deteriorate. Besides, quality of a food item depends very much on
their water content. The feature of food, either it is the texture, taste, appearance or the stability
varies with different amount of moisture in it. Additionally, in the production of processed food
items, they go through a few stages of processes in which some chemicals changes might take
place depending on the moisture contained within the food item. For this reason, comprehension
of the moisture content is crucial to predict the behavior of foods during the processing
operations.

In food products, water exists in free and bound form. Bound water is a water that is bound to
other substances and no longer exhibits the flow properties and solvent capability commonly
associated with water, whereas free water is present in the intergranular spaces and within the
pores of the food material. Since it is not bounded to any component in food, it is available for the
chemical and biological reaction that may take place in food.

Since moisture determination is very essential, many techniques have been established to ease the
verification of moisture content in various samples. Among the methods are the oven, chemical,
Karl Fisher and dielectric constant method.

In an oven method, the sample will be placed in the oven at a particular temperature and time.
The moisture will be determined once the sample is dried. The oven method is known as the
standard for testing moisture. However, the disadvantage of this method is that it takes up to 24
hours for precise and consistent results.

Samples with large amounts of carbohydrates may undergo chemical changes if dried in an oven.
In such cases, a vacuum oven can be used. Vacuum ovens works with reduced pressure which
permit faster drying. A vacuum oven is complete with an air inlet and outlet which helps to carry
the moisture lost from the sample out of the oven, therefore disallow the accumulation of
moisture in the oven. The boiling point of water in a vacuum oven is lower due to the low
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FOOD CHEMISTRY LABORATORY PROCEDURE

EXPERIMENT: EFFECT OF MOISTURE AND WATER ACTIVITY ON

SHELFLIFE OF FOOD
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pressure. So, degradation of heat sensitive substances can be avoided. This method takes between
3-6 hours to be completed and is quite costly.

Chemical reaction methods do not usually involve the application of heat and so they are suitable
for heat sensitive items including food containing high sugar concentrations or foods that contain
volatile components that might be lost by heating. The Karl-Fisher method is used to determine
the moisture content of foods that have low water content.

The dielectric method is used to determine the moisture in food sample when accuracy is needed.
This method can be used with a wide range of moisture contents and it is non-destructive.

Water activity (aw) is a comparison of the vapor pressure of water in a food sample with vapor
pressure of pure water. Water activity is one of the most critical factors in determining quality and
safety of the goods we consume every day. Water activity affects the shelf life, safety, texture,
flavor, and smell of foods. It is also important to the stability of food. While temperature, pH and
several other factors can influence if and how fast organisms will grow in a product, water
activity may be the most important factor in controlling spoilage. By measuring water activity, it
is possible to predict which microorganisms will and will not be potential sources of spoilage.
Water activity determines the lower limit of available water for microbial growth. In addition to
influencing microbial spoilage, water activity can play a significant role in determining the
activity of enzymes and vitamins in foods and can have a major impact their color, taste, and
aroma.

In this experiment, we will be concern with applying the Oven and AND methods in
determination of water content in different type of food samples. Water activity will also be
determined using Aqualab.

MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES

MATERIALS
Minced meat, flour, jam and fish cracker

APPARATUS
Moisture Analyzer, Aqualab, crucibles, tong, spatula, oven

PROCEDURES

a) Determination Moisture content

i) Oven drying method
1. Grind sample if necessary.
2. Dry crucibles in the oven at 150°C for 30 minutes. Cool the crucibles in a dessicator.
3. Weigh 10g sample (W) in the pre-weighed crucibles (W1).
4. Dry in the oven at 105°C for 8 hours.
5. Cool in the dessicator. Weigh sample.
6. Repeat drying until stable weight is obtained (W2).
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FOOD CHEMISTRY LABORATORY PROCEDURE

EXPERIMENT: EFFECT OF MOISTURE AND WATER ACTIVITY ON

SHELFLIFE OF FOOD
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Moisture content (%) = (W + W1) – W2 x 100

W

ii) AND Method

Determine the moisture content of flour sample using Moisture Analyzer (Refer SOP of the
equipment).

b) Determination of Water Activity.

Determine the water activity of each sample using AquaLab (Refer SOP of the equipment).

c) Shelf life.
1. Store each sample in different beaker at room temperature.
2. Look for sign of spoilage (mold growth, etc.) every two days for two weeks.
3. Plot a graph of shelf life (days) against water activity (aw) of samples.
4. Plot a graph of moisture content (%) against water activity (aw).

QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between moisture content and water activity?

2. Using graph, illustrate the relationship of shelf life and:

a) Moisture content
b) Water activity (Aw)

3. What is the relationship between moisture content and water activity? Describe the shape of the
curve.

4. Suggest ways to reduce water activity and prolong shelf life of foods.