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What does a Potato Chip have to do with a Moisture Analyzer?
What does a Potato Chip have to do with a Moisture Analyzer?
As the summer season sweeps northward thoughts turn to picnics, where sooner or later the ubiquitous crispy potato chips turn soggy thanks to the humidity. That same humidity causes salt to solidify in its cellar and sugar in its bowl. Excess moisture is the bane of many products, which is why manufacturers rely on a moisture analyzer to be sure their products are properly produced and packaged.
South Orange,
New Jersey,
United States of America
(prbd.net)
11/05/2010
"moisture balance, moisture analyzer, balance, analyzer, moisture"
As the summer season sweeps northward thoughts turn to picnics, where sooner or later the ubiquitous crispy potato chips turn soggy thanks to the humidity. That same humidity causes salt to solidify in its cellar and sugar in its bowl. Excess moisture is the bane of many products, which is why manufacturers rely on a moisture analyzer to be sure their products are properly produced and packaged.
Chips, sugar and salt provide excellent examples of the importance of correct moisture content. Moisture content regulations cover thousands of products from acrylic paint to yeast. Since moisture, whether water or other volatiles, represents weight a moisture analyzer or moisture balance can be employed to determine the percentage of moisture in a product.
Setting the Bar
A moisture analyzer is used to corroborate optimum moisture levels in products that support, among other things, their ability to be processed, their shelf life and percentage of weight that is due to water. Moisture levels are set by using drying ovens in a time-consuming process that establishes the reference optimum moisture level by comparing the weight of the product before and after drying. The loss in weight in percent is defined as the reference moisture content. Other parameters include drying time and temperatures.
Once the bar is set, it is the responsibility of the manufacturers to be certain that proper moisture levels are maintained throughout their production processes. This can occur several times as a product moves through the manufacturing and finishing cycle. Speed is essential as deviations may require shutting down the line until the correct moisture levels are restored. This is where the moisture analyzer is put to work.
Moisture balances are precision instruments that can be programmed with up to several dozen drying processes based on the products being analyzed….including drying time, drying temperature and target weight loss as based on the reference methods established in the drying ovens.
A typical moisture analyzer is a unit about 10 x 14 x 7 inches high weighing approximately 13 pounds. Most popular models use a halogen quartz glass heater to drive off volatile content in a process called thermogravimetric measurement. Taking the potato chip as an example, its target moisture content has been established along with testing parameters that are programmed into the analyzer. Several grams of pulverized chip are placed in an aluminum sample plate approximately 3.5 inches in diameter, care being taken to spread the particles evenly over the surface. The plate is positioned in a plate holder that is in turn placed in the moisture analyzer test chamber, the lid closed and the unit activated.
The moisture analyzer will continue operation until the loss of weight reaches plateau of the drying curve or to a point where little or no moisture is given off. The moisture content is shown as a percent on the LCD panel along with the temperature. If it is on target chip packaging continues. If not, adjustments will be required along the processing line. Data are recorded by connecting the moisture analyzer to a PC and printer.
About
Tovatech is a distributor of laboratory equipment to the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company specializes in digital scales, pharmaceutical laboratory equipment and ultrasonic cleaners. Tovatech is staffed by chemists and engineers dedicated to providing the right equipment for the food, drug, chemical, healthcare, and equipment manufacturing and maintenance sectors.
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