Due to the significant impact of water activity Aw on microorganisms, water activity also has important guiding significance for our daily microbial detection, as most types of microorganisms have a minimum critical value of water activity for growth and reproduction.

In general, if the water activity Aw of food is lower than this critical value, it is difficult for these microorganisms to grow in the food. And once we know this critical value, we can also assess the scientific validity of our testing results.

Microorganisms have a significant impact on the quality of food. On the one hand, certain microorganisms can cause food spoilage and deterioration, producing foul smelling substances and toxins, endangering food safety; On the other hand, some microorganisms participate in the fermentation process of food, improving food quality and increasing nutritional value. Therefore, controlling the reproduction and activity of microorganisms is crucial for ensuring the safety and quality of food.

The water that microorganisms can utilize is free water.

The close combination of water and other components in food can reduce the growth of microorganisms and the degradation caused by chemical reactions.

Water activity Aw is also an important quality indicator for sensory evaluation, such as hardness or softness, brittleness or stickiness, and other sensory properties.

High water activity leads to low water binding in food, resulting in more water available for microbial growth and reproduction. Conversely, less water available for microbial growth and reproduction in food can inhibit microbial growth. This is also one of the most important reasons why water activity affects the shelf life of food.

The GYW series water activity meter from Guanya is widely used in the food industry, including testing the activity of bread, cakes, noodles, frozen foods, salad dressings, chili sauces, seasoning sauces, dried fruits, pre made dishes, fruits, vegetables, and tea. With the increasing emphasis on activity, more and more industries are paying attention to the activity detection of products, such as feed, grain, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, packaging materials, health products, and seafood.