When food manufacturers think about water activity, they often think about the finished product. Measuring the final water activity is essential for confirming shelf-life and product stability, but it may not tell the whole food safety story. Many products pass through high-moisture processing stages before they become shelf stable. Doughs, slurries, batters, fillings, and hydrated…
HOW TO CHOOSE A WATER ACTIVITY METER? When it comes to water activity instrumentation, there are lot of choices out there. The one that is best for you will depend on several factors. If you just want a number, there are cheap options that will give a number, but come with no support. If you…
1. Executive Summary By 2050, the world’s energy consumption is expected to increase by nearly 50%, posing a significant challenge for current battery technologies to grow sustainably and cost-effectively.1 Although lithium-ion systems still dominate the market, emerging chemistries such as redox flow, aluminum-air, and aqueous (water-based) batteries aim to address cost, safety, and environmental concerns.2-4…
Water activity is an important quality control parameter in many industries, especially when product safety, microbial stability and shelf life need to be evaluated. For QC teams, the key point is simple: a water activity result is only useful if it is measured with a suitable method, a reliable instrument and proper calibration standards. Why…
There can be an abundance of confusion with water activity instruments concerning test time. Some instruments claim a 5-minute test time, while others offer fast or quick modes. Water activity test time is primarily driven by the physical and chemical characteristics of the sample, not by the instrument itself. Since water activity is an equilibrium…
Since July 1, 2026, the regulatory requirements for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods have become stricter in the European Union. For QC, QA and food safety teams, this is more than a regulatory update. It is a clear signal that scientific evidence, shelf-life validation and documented product control are becoming even more important for ready-to-eat…
Microbiological testing, Microbial Limit Testing or MLT, for pharmaceutical finished products is essential, but it is also resource- and time-intensive. If you work in Quality Control or Quality Assurance, you know that traditional MLT procedures often take several days. What if you could drastically reduce this testing frequency, accelerate release times, and lower costs, while…
In critical quality applications, water activity measurement is more than a routine laboratory parameter. It can influence decisions on product release, shelf life, chemical stability, microbial safety, packaging, and quality assurance. For this reason, accuracy, repeatability, and long-term measurement reliability are essential. Novasina is known for highly reliable and precise water activity measurement technology. The…
Functional foods and nutraceuticals are growing strongly because consumers expect products that do more than provide basic nutrition. They want products that support immunity, digestion, energy, sports performance, beauty, healthy aging, or overall wellbeing. This creates a major challenge for manufacturers: many of the ingredients that create this added value are sensitive. Probiotics must remain…
In pharmaceutical development and quality control, water is often treated as a simple number. A product contains a certain percentage of water. This value is measured by Loss on Drying or Karl Fischer titration, compared with a specification, and used as part of release or stability testing. But for many pharmaceutical products, the key question…
