A Beginner's Course in Water Activity
Water Activity for Product Safety and Quality
Every food producer needs to know what will happen to their product as it sits on the shelf. Know the water activity, and you know not just how much water is in your product, but what that water is doing and what it will be doing as time goes on.
Shelf Stability
Water activity (aw), unlike water content, can determine shelf stability. Shelf stability means "won't get moldy", but that's not all. Water activity affects:
- microbial growth
- shelf life
- texture
- moisture migration
- caking and clumping