Objective To measure moisture content of food samples. Background Effect of Moisture in Foods Rate of spoilage: Spoilage organisms like bacteria need moisture to grow. Therefore, increase moisture content can increase the rate of food spoilage. Texture and palatability: Low-moisture foods may have a dry mouthfeel which may not be desirable by consumers. Price value: […]
Objective: To determine the effect of different cooling methods on the cooling rate of snap beans Background: Cooling of fruits and vegetables is important after harvest in order to slow down respiration and other metabolic reactions that could lead to spoilage. Air and hydrocooling methods are commonly used to bring temperatures down to safe levels. […]
Objective To learn and practice how to measure viscosity  Background Viscosity is an important parameter that relates to texture and appearance of food and hence sensory experience while eating. Viscosity is also important in the rate of fluid flow and the amount of energy that may be required to move liquids in pipes. As […]
Objective: (a) To determine the total lipids in foods samples and (b) peroxide value of cooking oils Lipids are a group of substances that are soluble in organic solvents. A soxhelet apparatus is used to extract lipids in the food lab. In this method a dry sample (less than 10% moisture) is completely surrounded by […]
Objective To determine the ash content of food samples Background Ash content represents the inorganic residue (minerals) remaining after ignition and complete oxidation of organic matter. Dry ashing involves heating the sample in a muffle furnace at 500 – 600 oC. Since some elements such as Fe, Se, Pb and Hg may be partially volatized […]
Objective: To determine water activity of food samples Water Activity (aW): Apart from moisture content, it is also very important to check for water activity. Water activity tells you how active the water is in a food system. Is the water free to move around or is it bound? Water can be bound by other […]
