Microbial contamination: How water activity stops costly food recalls

Microbial contamination: How water activity stops costly food recalls Microbial contamination can lead to recalls and financial losses for food manufacturers. Novasina AG emphasizes the key difference between moisture content, which measures water volume, and water activity, which indicates the energy status of water and is crucial for assessing microbial growth. Food manufacturers are responsible for ensuring their products are safe for consumption and do not pose any food safety risks. To achieve this, they must develop a food safety plan that identifies the highest safety risks and outlines critical control mechanisms to allay these risks to acceptable levels. These control mechanisms are represented by specifications that must be met for a product to be released. If these specifications are correctly set and monitored through routine testing, the product should remain safe and profitable. However, if the specifications are not properly monitored or the established specifications are incorrect, there is a risk of product failure, recalls, and serious illness.