Fundamentals and Applications edited by Gustavo V. Barbosa-Cánovas
Water Activity in Foods: Fundamentals and Applications is a one-of-a-kind reference text that brings together an international group of food scientists, chemists, and engineers to present a broad but thorough coverage of an important factor known to influence the attributes of foods - water activity.
Topics have been carefully selected to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which water activity influences the quality, shelf life, and safety of food products. Other approaches for studying water relations in foods are also discussed including the polymer science approach and water mobility by nuclear magnetic resonance.
Concepts in the practical uses and applications of water activity for food formulation, processing, and storage are generously illustrated with practical examples from the food industry that will facilitate later application by professionals in their own laboratories and production facilities.
Progressing from the scientific to the practical, the book examines the fundamentals and relationships of water activity, ranging from glass transition theory and the measurement of moisture content, water activity, and isotherms, to ways in which water activity affects microorganisms, chemical reaction rates and physical properties, to moisture gain and loss through packaging, water activity as a hurdle, and applications of water activity management in the food industry and non-food systems.
Contents
Appendices
Index
to see books of related interest
|
