Moisture Content Evaluation of Food Products

Moisture content of food products is essential to be scientifically determined mainly for the following reasons:

Food quality – the extent of moisture is one of the major contributory factors to foods’ desirability and acceptability.
In terms of deterioration, the shelf life is highly dependent on the amount of moisture, hence the necessity of ensuring adequate percentage of moisture in various foods.

Microbial durability – presence of sufficient water in food is one of the main growth factors for harmful micro-organisms to survive.
Many types of foods may be dried to be protected against microbial development and preserved for longer safely. The level of water is initially determined which can be subsequently used for dehydrating foods to specific point (less than the critical moisture content).

Food legislation – there are some certain regulations in relation to the permitted amount of water in specific types of foods which must be complied with by manufacturers.

Food processing – moisture evaluation of foods is usually required to obtain scientific information about the food characteristics and its reactions during various processing e.g. freezing, modified atmosphere packaging, heat treatment, filling, etc.

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