Water Activity (aw) And Food Safety

Water activity (aw) is one of the few important parameters that dictate the shelf life stability of food—a food safety concern. But before we get to that, let’s define first what water activity is. More often, students think water activity and moisture content are the same thing. Well, they are not. Moisture content refers to

How to use moisture sorption isotherms in food

Moisture plays a crucial role in a lot of foods. Making sure that there is not too much and not too little moisture makes up a really big part of cooking and storing food. Baking your pie crust for long enough, cooking a jam until the right consistency, or caramelizing sugar, all revolve around controlling moisture. It becomes even

What’s The Difference Between Prebiotics And Probiotics?

Gut microbes help us metabolize food, protect against pathogens, and bolster our immune system. Although the science linking gut microbes to health and disease still has a way to go, researchers are learning that beneficial gut bacteria have nutritional preferences of their own. Appealing to our gut microbes by including foods they prefer in our