FAQ How should a sample be prepared for water activity testing? The sample should be representative of the product and prepared consistently for every measurement. Depending on the product, this can include breaking or crushing solid samples, creating a homogeneous portion or ensuring that multi-component products contain a representative ratio of each component. How much…
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…
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…
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…
This calculator helps you compare the total cost of ownership of a Novasina water activity system with another water activity instrument based on a different sensor technology. The calculation includes the main cost drivers over the selected evaluation period, such as instrument investment, software costs, calibration materials, recurring service costs, and operational effort. This makes…
For manufacturers of products where microbial quality is critical, microbial limit testing can be time-consuming and costly, especially when routine testing is performed frequently across many batches, formulations, or stability samples. This calculator helps you estimate how much cost could potentially be saved if water activity is used as a supporting risk-based parameter to reduce…
This practical decision calculator helps you estimate whether investing in an in-house water activity instrument is financially worthwhile compared with routine testing at an external contract laboratory. By entering a few key assumptions, such as instrument price, expected sample volume, external laboratory cost per sample, internal working time, and annual service costs, you can quickly…
Since water activity testing is critical to ensure the quality and safety of manufactured products, it is common to find water activity instruments in most quality assurance laboratories. As with any laboratory test method, good laboratory practices require routine verification assessments for water activity to make sure the instrumentation is working properly. This can be…
