Analytical News: Accredited water activity testing at AGROLAB Poland

: Published: 05 July 2023

Water activity is one of the most important quality parameters in the food and pharmaceutical industries. This characteristic, abbreviated a_w, is the ratio of the partial vapour pressure over the test sample to the partial vapour pressure over perfectly pure water.

The water content of foodstuffs changes continuously and should be monitored during the production process, including drying, cooking, baking and package leakage control.

The level of a_w determines the growth of micro-organisms, which is why it is so important in product development. Depending on the product, a_w varies.

Our laboratory has successfully implemented a water activity determination and obtained accreditation.

We determine water activity using the PN-ISO 21807:2007 electrochemical method with an LOQ of 0.11 for products as:

Cereals and cereal preparations, bakery products,
Coffee, tea
Confectionery
Food concentrates
Spices and herbs
Fruit and vegetable preparations
Feedstuffs

Author: Anna Rutkowska (AGROLAB Polska); Translation: Deepl

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