FST 400- Food Analysis

Moisture assays can be one of the most important analyses performed on a food product and yet one of the most difficult from which to obtain accurate and precise data. This chapter describes various methods for moisture analysis – their principles, procedures, applications, cautions, advantages, and disadvantages. Water activity measurement also is described, since it parallels the measurement of total moisture as an important stability and quality factor. With an understanding of techniques described, one can apply appropriate moisture analyses to a wide variety of food products. 6.1.1 Importance of Moisture Assay One of the most fundamental and important analytical procedures that can be performed on a food product is an assay for the amount of moisture (1–3). The dry matter that remains after moisture removal is commonly referred to as total solids. This analytical value is of great economic importance to a food manufacturer because water is an inexpensive filler. The following listing gives some examples in which moisture content is important to the food processor.