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:

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.