The significance of testing water activity

The Aw value is of great significance for food preservation. Due to the different water activities of foods containing water, the stability of their storage period also varies. Using water activity testing to reflect the shelf life of substances.

• The activity value can be used to determine the storage and preservation period of perishable and wilting substances such as food, feed, fruits, and medicines. Many countries have designated food moisture activity testing as a mandatory quality inspection indicator.

• In the granular powder industry, water activity can more directly reflect the bonding and adhesion phenomena of particles.

• The influence of working conditions on bonding strength can be reflected in the paint coating process.

• The water activity also reflects the performance of enzymes and catalysts very accurately and directly.

• *A moisture testing technique that is not affected by the physical state of the material and is suitable for materials of any shape.

• The higher the water activity value, the lower the binding degree; The lower the water activity value, the higher the degree of binding.

Regarding Handheld DevicesFood/Grain and Oil Water Activity Analyzer】

1) Instrument model: HBD5-MS2100 series

Instrument Name: Handheld Moisture Activity Tester

2) Instrument composition: The water activity tester consists of an HBD5 host and MS2100 series sensors.

3) Sensor: Imported high-precision sensor

4) Test chamber size: f48mm

5) Host size: 18cm×7cm×5cm

6) Host weight: 0.4kg

7) This instrument is a national standard testing instrument for GB/T 34790-2017 Grain and Oil Inspection - Determination of Grain Water Activity.

【Food/Grain and Oil Water Activity AnalyzerApplication:

• Raw grains: rice, wheat, corn, sorghum, millet, barley, buckwheat, soybeans, adzuki beans, mung beans, fava beans, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, etc.

• Finished grains: rice, wheat flour, millet, rapeseed, white sesame, black sesame, cottonseed, sunflower seeds, cantaloupe seeds, oil tea seeds, palm seeds, etc.

• Pet food: fish food, dog food, cat food, canned food, meat paste, nutritious Congee, etc.

• Food: seasonings, instant noodles, canned food, cakes, beverages, etc.

• Fishery: dried fish, fishmeal, fish paste, fishmeal, canned food, etc.

• Health food, health medicine, etc.

[Function]

• Test range: Water activity 0.003~0.999Aw

• Expansion function: Can simultaneously detect moisture content, moisture range: 0-3kg/kg

• Repetition accuracy: ± 0.015 (<± 0.3 ℃ at room temperature)

• Accuracy:< 0.003 Aw (<0.1 ℃ room temperature)

• Working environment: Temperature: 0 ℃~50 ℃, Humidity: 0~85% RH

• Work pressure: normal pressure

• Resolution: 0.001 Aw

• Power supply: Ni Cd battery, continuous operation for 2 hours, standby for 1 week or transformer 220V power supply for use.

Principle of Water Activity Analyzer

The methods for measuring water activity include traditional diffusion method and ERH water activity testing method.

The ERH water activity testing method is a new physical and chemical testing principle that has attracted attention in recent years, which tests the water activity by testing the characteristics of the equilibrium state between the surface of the water containing object and the surrounding gas of the sample.

The HBD5MS2100 water activity tester uses the ERH method to test the water activity Aw value.

(The unit of water activity is expressed as the Aw value, which is equal to the relative humidity expressed as a percentage and ranges from 0 to 1. The ratio of the vapor partial pressure P of water in a solution to the vapor pressure Q of pure water is Aw=P/Q.)

How to use a water activity meter

• Instrument connection, connect the measuring chamber to the host;

• Place the substance to be measured in the measuring chamber (2/3 or more), cover the chamber lid, and stabilize for 15 minutes;

• Connect the power supply, press the power switch, and the instrument will start working;

• About 5-10 minutes, wait for the LCD display reading to stabilize, then read the value and complete the test.

• Activity meter calibration: The calibration of the instrument is achieved by measuring the activity values of distilled water and saturated sodium chloride solution as standards.

Preparation before using a water activity meter

Before leaving the factory, the instrument has been preliminarily calibrated according to the same sample as the user as much as possible.

Before using or not using the activity meter for a long time, please activate the sensor.

After sales Service Commitment

• All Beidou satellite instruments are guaranteed quality for 1 year, and free maintenance is provided within 1 year, unless otherwise specified. Lifetime maintenance service.

• On the premise of recommending application solutions or instrument selection by Beidou Star engineers, if the user cannot use it normally, they can return or exchange it within one month after installation or use. But the longest term for domestic users is limited to 3 months from the date of manufacture or when they entrust an agent to sell.

HBD5-MS2100 Handheld Moisture Activity Tester

In 2006, the Beijing Beidouxing Industrial Chemistry Research Institute launched the HBD5-MS2100 water activity tester in China. Over the past decade, it has gone from being neglected in the initial market to serving many food enterprises at home and abroad. In an industry that concerns people's livelihoods, the HBD5-MS2100 water activity tester has also witnessed the development of safety management awareness of "food is paramount to the people" and "food safety comes first" from another perspective.

Water activity (aW value) is an important factor affecting the shelf life, color, aroma, and other physical properties of food. It is an important reference for determining whether there is a risk of food spoilage and the most intuitive basis for controlling microbial production in food. Developed countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan have incorporated water activity indicators into quality management systems such as FDA, USP, EC, ISO, HACCP, etc., as important indicators for monitoring microbial growth.

Looking back at the introduction of various national food safety management regulations, we deeply feel that the standardization and standardization of conceptual awareness go far beyond the significance of the instrument itself. The important indicator of "water activity" in food quality and safety control was proposed by the State Administration for Import and Export Commodity Inspection in 1992 for the management of export enterprises. In 2009, the national standard "GB/T 23490-2009 Determination of Water Activity in Food" was promulgated and implemented, marking the further popularization of food safety standardization. In 2012, in order to fill the gap in the grain and oil standard system and promote the application of water activity in the grain industry, the Beijing Beidouxing Industrial Chemistry Research Institute participated in the national standard "Determination of Grain Water Activity in Grain and Oil Inspection" jointly conducted by the National Grain Administration Scientific Research Institute. It was responsible for the development and verification of water activity experimental plans for grains such as corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans, and jointly drafted and formulated the standard. The GB/T34790-2017 Grain and Oil Testing Instrument Standard for Determining Grain Water Activity will be officially implemented on May 1, 2018. The promulgation of this standard in the grain and oil industry has made standardization management more in-depth and extensive.

At the beginning of the application and promotion of the Beidou moisture meter in the food industry in 2000, there was an old way of moisture detection that relied only on human visual inspection and hand touch. This situation made our instrument scientists deeply worried about how the traditional processing methods could meet the needs of the rapidly developing market. The strong sense of mission made Beidou people realize the practicality and importance of the promotion of scientific instruments. New detection theories and technologies must be applied to food production. After detailed research, based on the Beidou MS1204 moisture testing technology, we developed the MS2100 moisture activity testing technology, which was obtained in 1996, compared with the advantages and disadvantages of the existing technologies of the original detection theory at home and abroad. The Beijing Torch Program is the technical accumulation of several generations of Beidou experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The MS2100 water activity testing technology has been widely applied by hundreds of grain and oil, pet food, seasoning, biological health products, fishery processing, instant noodles, canned food, cakes, beverages and other production enterprises for more than 10 years. It has been widely used in Petty Pet Food Company, Taoli Group, Hongyi Food Co., Ltd., Tangrenshen Group, Anderson Food Group, Zhongyan (Hubei) Food Co., Ltd. and other enterprises for a long time, and has gained good user reputation. It has been sold to countries such as Spain, the United States, and Indonesia.

With the promulgation and implementation of the "GB/T34790-2017 Grain and Oil Testing Instrument Method for Determining Grain Water Activity", the HBD5-MS2100 water activity tester will soon launch its second-generation product, with new functions and experiences, making testing more efficient and convenient.

HBD5-MS2100 series manufacturer: Beijing Beidouxing Industrial Chemistry Research Institute

GB/T 34790-2017 Grain and Oil Inspection - Determination of Grain Water Activity - Instrument Method Standard

Number: GB/T 34790-2017
Standard name: Grain and oil inspection - Instrument method for determining the water activity of grain grains
English name: Inspenction of grain and oils-Determination of water activity of grains- Instrumental method
Issuing department: General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, National Standards Committee
Drafting units: National Grain Administration Scientific Research Institute, Beijing Beidouxing Industrial Chemistry Research Institute, Beijing Agricultural Product Quality Testing and Farmland Environment Monitoring Technology Research Center, Guangdong National Grain Quality Monitoring Center, Jilin National Grain Quality Monitoring Center, Heilongjiang China Grain Reserves Quality Testing Center Co., Ltd
Standard Status: Current
Release date: November 1, 2017
Implementation date: May 1, 2018
Standard format: PDF
Standard Introduction:
This standard specifies the method for measuring the water activity of grain grains using instruments.
This standard is applicable to the determination of water activity in grain grains with a water activity range of 0.030-1.00.