Moisture content can have a significant impact on products and materials within a range of industries.
For example, within the catering, food and beverage industry, long term storage of ingredients and edible products can be affected by their moisture contents. Higher levels of moisture can cause faster microbial growth, which results in food spoiling sooner and may lead to illness in consumers. Moisture analysis can help to prevent this.
It is also a key area of study within certain fields of science and provides a reliable method of quality control.
But what exactly is moisture analysis, and how does it work? The instrumentation specialists at Sweigh stock a variety of moisture analysers at various price points for a range of applications.
Read on to learn more about the process of moisture analysis, to explore its purposes and to discover some examples of the equipment that can be used by your business in order to achieve it.
What is Moisture Analysis?
Moisture analysis is the process of measuring the water content of certain materials.
There are many ways to achieve this, with one of the most common being to dehydrate the materials or samples in question and record their weight before and after doing so.
Various sectors employ moisture analysis - including the catering, food and beverage industry, the cosmetics industry and businesses operating within the agriculture, chemical, oil and gas and pharmaceutical sectors.
Often, organisations that undertake moisture analysis do so for the purposes of quality control or safe storage, but there are many other applications besides, which we will explore below.
What are the Applications of Moisture Analysis?
As previously mentioned, the practice of moisture analysis is usually employed in order to ensure the safe storage of products, materials and ingredients, as well as the effective management of quality and quantity control.
It is also regularly used by researchers in a range of scientific fields, for applications such as sample testing.
Extracting moisture from foods and edible ingredients can extend their shelf-life and potential for long-term storage, while dehydrating other substances may improve their material integrity.
When using moisture analysis for research purposes, the approach can be applied in order to study a material’s reactions and behaviour in different states.
What are the Methods for Moisture Analysis?
Among the most common methods of moisture analysis include the use of microwave and electrical heating - including halogen heating - in order to extract water from materials. The weight of the materials before and after extraction are then recorded. This is known as a Loss On Drying (LOD) test. Other structural and behavioural changes may also be tested.
Other extraction and analysis techniques include the use of nuclear energy and NIR absorbance, as well as hydrometry, refractometry, freezing point and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).
The chosen approach will often depend on the reason for extracting and analysing the moisture content of a material, as well as the scale and type of the relevant operation or business involved.
There are adjacent techniques that may also be employed to learn more about a material’s chemical and physical makeup, including thermogravimetric analysis. This involves the heating of a substance and recording its weight throughout the process, as a method of studying its thermal stability.
What Moisture Analyser do I Need?
As mentioned, the type of moisture analyser used by your business should depend on its specific purpose, as well as the materials you wish to analyse, the environment in which it will be used and your budget.
Operatives within the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, chemical and agricultural industries are each likely to require a different type of analyser to support their specific needs and operational methods.
Sweigh offers a range of moisture analysers priced between £500 and £4,150, which use infrared and halogen technology for moisture extraction.
Models available from Sweigh include the MB23 Balance, the MB25 Balance, the MB27 Balance, the MB120 Balance, the MB90 Balance and the MC2000 Grain Moisture Analyser, all from Ohaus. Our balances all have maximum capacities of between 90 and 120 grams.
Beyond moisture analysis, the products we offer also include specialist scales and balances. We stock equipment from top manufacturers Adam and Ohaus.
Sweigh has a lengthy track record of supplying high quality scales and balances to industries of all kinds, stretching back many years.
If you are unsure of the type of moisture analyser you are likely to need, please feel free to get in touch with our knowledgeable team of experts at your earliest convenience in order to discuss the nature of your business and the criteria you will need to consider before making a purchase.
We will be more than happy to provide all of the information and advice you require, and we look forward to discussing your requirements with you.