Moisture Analyzers for Food and Raw Materials

Moisture Analyzers are an essential tool across many industries as moisture content has a significant influence on the quality, processing, and pricing of materials. The moisture content present in raw materials and finished products can affect various industries including food, animal feeds, chemical and pharmaceutical products, construction materials etc. The adoption of compact and robust precision moisture analyzing appliances is therefore vital in many industries. Moisture analyzers in the laboratory and in production increases efficiency and saves time and costs. Furthermore, productivity is enhanced by the fully automatic moisture analysis of samples, and the corresponding generation of measurement documentation.

What is a Moisture Analyzer?

A moisture analyzer, also referred to as a moisture balance or moisture meter, is designed to determine the volume of moisture in a sample. A common method used is LOD (loss of drying), where a sample is weighed prior to and following the removal of moisture: the difference between the two will provide you with the weight of moisture in the sample

Moisture analyzers are composed of two main components:

1. A balance to measure the initial and final weight
2. A heat source to heat the sample and remove moisture

Moisture analyzers are programmed to cooperate with quality control procedures and execute analysis conforming to set standards.

 Three Types of Moisture Content

From experience, you might have noticed that moisture has weight. Moisture occurs due to the evaporation upon heating substances such as water, organics, flavouring, fats and alcohol. Moisture content can come in various forms; it is therefore important when performing moisture analysis to bear this in mind as ignoring this can give incorrect readings. It is vital to be aware of the various forms.

Surface moisture content:

When moisture clings to a sample surface this is called hygroscopic, adhesive, or free water. Although this moisture might not always be visible, it is the easiest moisture to remove.

Absorbed moisture content:

Also known as equilibrium moisture, this moisture has migrated into the pores and capillaries of the sample. It can be more difficult and time-consuming to measure.

Chemically bonded moisture content:

Also referred to as water of crystallization or hydrated water. This is when moisture molecules are bonded at molecular level and might additionally have surface and absorbed moisture present. It is the most difficult to measure.

Importance of Moisture Content Analysis: Moisture Analyzer Applications

A variety of industries, such as pharmaceutical, food, agricultural, and many more, have products that can be affected by moisture content.

Moisture can affect a product’s weight, quality, shelf life and pricing. For example, products with a large moisture content have a shorter shelf-life cycle due to increased bacterial activity. Regulations and standards on the accepted limit of moisture content in commercial products are strict. Moisture analyzers offer a quick solution, providing speedy moisture analysis.

Discover more by reading some of our recent articles that delve into the application of Moisture analyzers:

• Moisture content of Food in order to reduce food waste
• Determining the Moisture Content of Medical Marijuana

Precisa’s Moisture Analyzers

At Precisa we provide a variety of moisture analyzers which offer a competitive price and meet the highest requirements in research, production, and quality control.

Series 330 XM Moisture Analyzer                                    Series 365 EM Moisture Analyzer              

All Precisa’s moisture analyzers provide fast, error-free moisture analysis, using highest degrees of measurement performance and precision. As a result of Swiss precision in engineering and production, Precisa products guarantee reliability, robustness, and an extensive life of error-free operation at the highest levels of precision.                                  

• Weighing capacity up to 310 g
• Adjustable readability: 1 mg/ 0.001% and 1 mg/ 0.01%
• High temperature range up to 230 °C
• Intuitive user interface
• Versatile connectivity
• Quality assurance: compliance with GLP and GMP
• Life-long reliability

Heat Element Options:

• Infrared (IR) moisture analyzer
• Halogen moisture analyzer
• Dark radiation heating system

Moisture Analyzer Maintenance

Below are our Top Tips to keep your moisture analyzers in pristine condition, ensuring continued accurate measurements.

• Keep away from temperature inconsistencies, drafts, vibrations, and dusty settings.
• Use a soft brush to clean up sample debris that has fallen off during analysis.
• Accessories should be cleaned gently using only washing up liquid and a gentle cloth.
• Once cleaned, components should be wiped with a wet cloth, then dried.
• Take extreme caution when cleaning the temperature sensor. Clean and dry with cloths and avoid touching the lamp

Find your moisture analyzer

If you are interested in one of our moisture analyzers, why not browse our range of products, and contact us for any further information, including our moisture analyzer price.

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