Water activity and ERH%
Water activity, or equilibrium relative humidity (ERH%), is widely used as a quality control measure in bakery products to predict mould-free shelf life and the stability of composite products like layer cakes or filled croissants.
Mould growth prevention
Mould- free shelf life may be determined by using the water activity value in combination with other factors such as pH and preservative environments created within the packaging. Mould may begin at a water activity of 0.6 aw upwards, but below this level, products are generally free from mould growth.
Moisture migration & stability of composite products
Water activity may also be used to control moisture migration in products which have different components parts, e.g.: sponge, jam, buttercream, chocolate coating etc.
By creating balanced water activity levels this will avoid moisture trying to migrate from one component to others which may cause unwanted results such as going soggy, drying out, discolouration, loss of flavour etc.
Novasina LabMASTER aw Neo
Water activity is scaled 0-1 aw or 0-100% ERH. It can determine the quality of your products or ingredients as a tool for micro – growth potential, stability, texture, taste and shelf-life quality control measures. The LabMASTER-aw NEO is the only instrument that enables measurements under precisely controlled chamber temperature conditions, selectable in the range of 0°C to 60°C.
Food hygiene
Petrochemical
Confectionery
Pharmaceutical
Bakery
- Long proven measuring technology with unique Novasina sensor system
- New touch-screen intuitive operation with in-built operating guide on-screen
- Measuring range 0.03 to 1.0 aw and 0 – 60°C with accuracy 0.003 aw
- Quick mode for sample tests in under 10 minutes
- Fully 21 CFR11 compliant audit trail compliant with data inegrity
- Fully compliant with ISO 18787: 2017 water activity testing standard
- Resolution 0.0001 aw with stability detection time 0.0003 aw over 1 minute
- Re-useable, factory–safe UKAS calibration salts with RFID chip for identification
- Highly resilient to non-aqueos volatiles used as additives and preservatives
- Import/export SD card and internal memory holding complete user history
