FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Products with a water activity higher than 0.70 aw but less than 0.86 aw is considered shelf stable but will still support the growth of mold and yeast.

Detailed explanation-2: -Higher water activity substances tend to support more microorganisms; bacteria usually require water activity values of at least 0.91 and fungi at least 0.6. Every microorganism has a limit of water activity below which it will not grow.

Detailed explanation-3: -The water activity is a value between 0 and 1. A value of 0 means there is absolutely no available water, this is very rare in food. A value of 1 means all water in the product is available, which is pure water. Most foods hover within a range of 0.2 and 0.99 for water activity.

Detailed explanation-4: -With aw at 0.3, the product is most stable with respect to lipid oxidation, non-enzymatic browning, enzyme activity, and of course, the various microbial parameters. As aw increases toward the right, the probability of the food product deteriorating increases.