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Moisture and water activity are related measurements, but they do not answer the same product-quality question.
For supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and quality teams, the distinction is important.
Moisture tells you how much water is associated with the product. Water activity provides information about how available that water is within the product.
PBR Laboratories provides moisture and water activity testing for applicable matrices from Edmonton across Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
Moisture testing measures the moisture associated with the submitted sample using the applicable analytical method.
It may support evaluation of:
An unexpected result should be considered against the product specification and history.
Water activity provides information about how available water is within the product.
This can be useful when evaluating:
Water activity should not be treated as another way of reporting moisture content.
Two powders can contain similar amounts of moisture but have different water activity because their ingredients bind water differently.
That means the two tests may provide complementary information.
Depending on matrix suitability:
Water availability can provide useful context when investigating microbiological behaviour.
However:
Water activity does not replace microbiological testing.
A microbiological test measures microbial populations or specified microorganisms.
Water activity measures a product characteristic that may help explain its behaviour.
It means the submitted sample produced a moisture result above the comparison value or specification being used.
Potential contributors can include:
Review:
The next test should answer a defined product-quality question.
Powders and botanical ingredients can be heterogeneous.
A small sample from one area may not represent a large production lot.
When results will support a lot-level decision, confirm the sampling approach and sample requirements before submission.
PBR Laboratories supports applicable moisture and water activity testing from Edmonton for manufacturers and quality teams across Alberta, Western Canada and Canada.
No.
Yes.
No.
Not by itself.
The answer depends on the product specification and question the testing needs to support.
Tell PBR what product you are testing, what quality question you are investigating and whether the sample is a raw material or finished product.