Water Activity & Moisture
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Food & Dairy
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Grain
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Feed
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Soil, Science & Environment
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Discontinued Products
Why Isotherms
A moisture sorption isotherm is a graph showing how water activity changes as water is adsorbed into and desorbed from a product held at constant temperature.
The Problem
Every food manufacturer has to ask: how long before my product molds, gets soggy, goes stale, becomes rancid, cakes, clumps, crystallizes—in short, becomes unacceptable? What can I do to preserve and extend the shelf life of my product?
Moisture Sorption Isotherms
One key to answering that question lies in an energy status picture of the product—its moisture sorption isotherm. A moisture sorption isotherm is a graph showing how water activity changes as water is adsorbed into and desorbed from a product held at constant temperature. Isotherms provide the specific data you need to: (click on links below) Make component mixing models Set QA/AC specifications Define critical control points Do packaging calculations Predict the effects of temperature abuse (click on any of the above to learn more) High-resolution isotherms can determine monolayer value and allow formulation for maximum shelf life. They can even pinpoint exact water activity values for caking and clumping, glass transition, deliquescence, protective coating/layer permeability, and hygroscopicity.
Isotherms provide information for the following: -Make component mixing models -Set QA/AC specifications -Define critical control points -Do packaging calculations -Predict the effects of temperature abuse
High-resolution isotherms can determine monolayer value and allow formulation for maximum shelf life. They can even pinpoint exact water activity values for caking and clumping, glass transition, deliquescence, protective coating/layer permeability, and hygroscopicity.