Moisture content of a product is essential to the life span of the product. Thus, the determination of the moisture content is very import. It helps to determine the expiry date or shelf life of the product.
Moisture content affects the processibility, shelf-life, usability and quality of a product. Accurate moisture content determination therefore plays a key role in ensuring quality in many industries including Food, Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals. Furthermore, the maximum permissible moisture content in certain products may be governed by legislation (e.g. national food regulations) (METTLERTOLEDO
Typically, moisture content is determined via a thermogravimetric approach, i.e. by loss on drying, in which the sample is heated and the weight loss due to evaporation of moisture is recorded. Commonly used moisture analysis technologies are the moisture analyzer and the drying oven in combination with a balance (METTLERTOLEDO.
The procedure for determining the moisture content can be found below:
Aim: To determine the percentage moisture content of solid food sample
PRINCIPLE: This method is based on loss of volatile components by oven drying at temperature of 105⁰C for 3 hours; besides water the loss include other volatile matters. It can also be measured by using Moisture Analyzer.
PROCEDURE: A clean Petri dish made of silica, platinum or any other suitable material is dried in an oven and cooled in a desiccator.
1. Weigh the empty petri dish (W1)
2. Weigh 2g-5g of the sample into the petri dish and recorded (gross weight) (W2)
3. Transfer to oven at 105⁰C for 3 hours.
4. Remove and place in desiccator to cool and weigh (W3).
Percentage Moisture
content = W2-W3 ×
100%
W2-W1
For Liquid samples it is Termed Total Solid and it is calculated as:
Percentage Total Solid
= W3-W2 × 100%
W2-W1
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