Food preservation principles
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In this chapter we will explore the different pysical, biological and chemical principles that play important roles in food processing, food spoilage, and food preservation.
4. Water Activity Control
Water activity (aW) is a measure of the free available water in a food product. Available water affects the microbial growth as microbial cells require a water activity greater than or equal to 0.98 to be able to take up nutrients, excrete waste, reproduce, and disperse.
Drying food is one of the oldest principles of food preservation.