awnews97.pdf Water Activity News 1997. Download now. - AquaLab

Protecting the public.continued from page one—■ Don’t gamble withsafety issues. Reduceyour risk and useAquaLab water activitymeter to predict yourproduct’s shelf life.■ Specific authority was provided for factoryinspections.■ Food standards were required to be set up whenneeded “to promote honesty and fair dealing in theinterest of consumers.”■ Federal court injunctions against violations wereadded to the previous legal remedies of product seizuresand criminal prosecutions.Both the new law and World War II greatly expandedthe FDA’s work load. Wartime demands stimulated thedevelopment of new “wonder drugs,” especially theantibiotics, which required FDA testing.Food chemicals investigated.In 1949, the problem of food chemicals caused aresolution calling for a special committee to investigate■ You can’t disguise taintedfood. Get AquaLab for fastaccurate water activityreadings.“chemicals in food.” The hearings went on for two years.From the committee’s work came three amendmentsthat fundamentally changed the character of the U.S.food and drug law: The Pesticide Amendment (1954),the Food Additives Amendment (1958), and the ColorAdditive Amendments (1960). With these laws on thebooks, it could be said for the first time that nosubstance could legally be introduced into the U.S. foodsupply unless there has been a prior determination thatit is safe.Drug amendments requires completeinformation to doctors.Driven by the tragic thalidomide-deformed infants inEurope, the Drug Amendments of 1962, which werepassed unanimously by the Congress, tightened controlover prescription drugs, new drugs, and investigationaldrugs. It was recognized that no drug is truly safeunless it is also effective, and effectiveness was requiredto be established prior to marketing-one of the majoradvances of medical history. Drug firms were requiredto send adverse reaction reports to FDA, and drugadvertising in medical journals was required to providecompete information to the doctor-the risks as well asthe benefits. Preventing harm again was the goal ofamendments passed in 1976, to ensure safety andeffectiveness of medical devices.Changes in the law.In 1980, serious illness of babies due to a mineraldeficiency caused Congress to pass an Infant FormulaAct requiring strict controls to ensure the nutritionalcontent and safety of commercial baby foods.Two years later, in 1982, seven deaths from cyanideplaced in Tylenol pain relief capsules caused the FDA todevelop and issue regulations requiring tamper-resistantpackaging, and Congress passed a law making it a crimeto tamper with packaged consumer products.For years the FDA has been criticized for taking toolong to approve new drugs so they can be prescribed forthe public. To address these criticisms, in 1985, the FDAissued revised drug regulations designed to improve theprocessing of new drugs.Amendments in the 1990’s, including the Nutritionand Labeling Education Act, triggered an estimated500,000 food labels to be redesigned and printed withthe new nutrition label format.Also, the 1990s’ foodborne outbreaks caused by theO157:H7 variant of Escherichia coli led to the passage ofthe USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and CriticalControl Point (HACCP). HACCP programs are to be inplace before January 25, 2000 effecting primarily 6,200slaughter and meat processing plants.Fundamentals of the LawThe Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act has becomea lengthy and complicated lawtheproduct of many forcesand legislativecompromises. Itsfundamentals, however, aresimple and practical. Thelaw prohibits distribution inthe United States, orimportation, of products that areadulterated or misbranded. Theword “adulterated” applies toproducts or materials that aredefective, unsafe, filthy, or■ Don’t get caughtbehind the eight ball.AquaLab is the mostaccurate and reliablewater activity meter.2▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

Here is a collection of frequent questions asked about AquaLab. Ifyou need assistance give us a call at 1-800-755-2751. ■Do you have a 1-800 number for myAquaLab technical questions?We specifically provide an 800 number for customerservice. Call us anytime during our working hours,8:00AM to 5:00PM, pacific time, Monday through Friday,and we will be happy to answer your questions.My AquaLab is reading ‘lo’ (or ‘hi’) -what does this mean?A reading of hitypically means thesample temperatureis much higherthan the sensortemperature. If thisoccurs, you need tocool the sampleuntil it is withinabout 4°C of thesensor.A reading of ‘lo’ could meanone of three things:■ Complianceto safetystandardsrequire wateractivityreadings formost foodproducts.1) The sample’s water activity is less than 0.03, 2) Thesensor is very dirty so there is no detection of dew onthe mirror, 3) A sensor component failed and dewcannot be detected on the mirror. In this third instance,return the instrument to Decagon for repair. Please callfor shipping instructions.When can I use your loaner program?If your AquaLab ceases to function in the middle of acritical project, or your production safety is in jeopardy,we can ship you one of our loaners overnight. Weprovide a limited number of loaners so customers won’tsuffer monetary loss. Customers appreciate using ourloaners. Many customers now store additional spareAquaLabs so they won’t lose even a day’s down time.Why do you ship FedEx?Can you ship AquaLab UPS Ground to save mycompany money?We pay for all shipping costs to USA destinations.Because the freight is our responsibility, we alwaystransport AquaLabs by Federal Express. This guaranteesyou will receive your AquaLab in the most timely andsecure manner. ■■ With AquaLab’s 30-day satisfactionguarantee, you can bethe judge.What does AquaLink do?AquaLink cable and software connect your AquaLabto any PC computer. Once connected you can store datestamp, water activity, and temperature for eachdatapoint. AquaLab data is stored in comma delimitedASCII format, which imports easily to a spreadsheetprogram for further analysis.Where can I get a water bath for myCX2T?We recommend finding one through a laboratoryequipment company such as Cole-Parmer or FischerScientific. You need to find a bath with goodtemperature control and a pump to circulate the water.The least expensive baths only raise the watertemperature. If you need cooling capability, thecirculating bath will be more expensive. Decagon doesn’tsell water baths. They are easily procured. We don’twant to pass unnecessary handling charges on to you.▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼5

Timely world-wide product representation.AUSTRALIAGraintecRon LeamanPh 61 76 38 4677FAX 61 76 38 1761■All around the world …ITALYSteroglassMarta MussiniPh 39 755 583 7808FAX 39 75 609 0950SULTANATE OF OMANUDSVikram MurthyPh 968 79675FAX 968 790860BENELUXProton-WiltenAd van den BroekPh 31 1608 16920FAX 31 1608 14499JAPANNippon General TradingLue MizushimaPh 81 33 271 7001FAX 81 33 271 7005TAIWANSmartec ScientificBergius SuPh 886 2 999 5767FAX 886 2 999 5759BRAZILBraseqWania HowardPh 55 11 241 4400FAX 55 11 530 9693■… no matter what time zone …MALAYSIAServco ServicesJamaludin BahaudinPh 603 633 1255FAX 603 633 3255THAILANDCharpa TechcenterPhenporn PongpuncharoenPh 66 2 748 6970FAX 66 2 748 6969CANADAMeyer Service & SupplyCarolyn AubinPh 613 938 2185FAX 613 933 8726PHILIPPINESRCLL Trading Corp.Lowell SyPh 310 371 8069FAX 310 371 7941TURKEYTavdi CompanyIsmail SaltukPh 90 212 233 9504FAX 90 212 246 7461CHILEQuimaticCarlos BorquezPh 56 2 208 5360FAX 56 2 228 6529PORTUGALLabcellTim BonnerPh 44 1256 760777FAX 44 1256 760921URUGUAYSirexPablo PazosPh 598 2 40 3854FAX 598 2 41 8300CHINA/HONG KONGASL TechnologiesFred YeungPh 852 242 18704FAX 852 242 60217■… or how old the culture …SAUDI ARABIAKI Abdulkadir & PartnerMohammed ShabbirPh 966 2 640 5906FAX 966 2 640 4710USADecagon Devices, Inc.Tamsin CampbellPh 509 332 2756FAX 509 332 5158ENGLANDLabcellTim BonnerPh 44 1256 760777FAX 44 1256 760921SCANDINAVIAAnalytical Devices ABBertil JanssonPh 46 8 166515FAX 46 8 166514FRANCETripette et RenaudPatrick FrappePh 33 1 47 986002FAX 33 1 47 982904GERMANYIUL InstrumentsAlexander BeljaarsPh 49 2223 26560FAX 49 2223 4845INDIATara InternationalBharatkumar DavdaPh 91 22 201 7103FAX 91 22 206 4409… the time is right to use AquaLab,the world’s fastest water activitymeter for food safety.■SINGAPOREBioscience LaboratoryEquipmentRita TanPh 65 733 4581FAX 65 737 9953SOUTH AFRICAVisioconDr. John AnnandalePh 21 8800 885FAX 21 8800 885SPAINGiralt, S.A.Victor GonzalesPh 34 1 579 0469FAX 34 1 571 1070■ AquaLabmeasures wateractivity in lessthan 5 minutes.6▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

Recent water activityresearch papers ofinterest.1New theory of water activity in heterogeneoussystems, B.P. Hills, Charles E. Manning, andYvonne Ridge, J. CHEM SOCIETY, FARADAYTRANS., 1996, 92(6), p 979-9832Survival of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Brothand Processed Salami as Influenced by pH,Water Activity, and Temperature andSuitability of Media for Its Recovery, M. Rocelle S.Clavero and Larry R. Beuchat, APPLIED ANDENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Aug. 1996, p. 2735-2740.3Water Activity, Water Glass Dynamics, andthe Control of Microbiological Growth inFoods, Jorge Chirife and Maria del Pilar Buera,CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION,36(5):465-513 (1996).4Production of the Mycotoxin CyclopiazonicAcid by Penicillium commune on Solid AgarMedia: Effects of Water Activity, Temperature,and Incubation Time, Nceba Gqaleni, John E. Smith,John Lacey, and George Gettinby, JOURNAL OF FOODPROTECTION, Vol. 59, No. 8, 1996, pages 864-868.5Kinetics of non-enzymatic browning inamorphous solid systems: distinguishing theeffects of water activity and the glasstransition, Leonard N. Bell, FOOD RESEARCHINTERNATIONAL, Vol. 28, No. 6, pp. 591-597, 1996.6Thermal inactivation of bacteria-a newpredictive model for the combined effect ofthree environmental factors: temperature, pH,and water activity, O. Cerf, K. R. Davey & A. K. Sadoudi,1996 CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY.■ If your competition is playinghardball, maybe water activitymeasurement should be part of yourgame. It can make you a winner.■ AquaLab uses anAOAC approved method.(Offical Methods ofAnalysis, section42.978.18B sub c).Water activity &Good ManufacturingPractises:Food supply laws assure food safety.Modern scientific methods arerequired to enforce the FederalFood, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.Laws to ensure thewholesomeness of foods andthe safety and efficacy of drugswould be impractical withoutreliable methods of laboratoryanalysis to determine whetherproducts are up to standard…Theprincipal authority relied on forlaboratory methods is “OfficialMethods of Analysis of theAssociation of OfficialAnalytical Chemists.” From HHSPublication No. (FDA)86-1054.Annual Code of FederalRegulations (CFR), Title 21subpart references towater activity.In the definitions, §110.3(n), itsays “Safe-moisture level is alevel of moisture low enough toprevent the growth ofundesirable microorganisms inthe finished product under theintended conditions ofmanufacturing, storage, anddistribution.” The maximum safemoisture level for a food isbased on its water activity (a w).An a w will be considered safefor a food if adequate data areavailable that demonstrate thatthe food at or below the givena w will not support the growthof undesirable microorganisms.§110.3(r), Water activity (a w) is ameasure of the free moisture in afood and is the quotient of thewater vapor pressure of thesubstance divided by the vaporpressure of pure water at thesame temperature.§110.80(b)(2) All foodmanufacturing, includingpackaging and storage, shall beconducted under such conditionsand controls as are necessaryto minimize the potential for thegrowth of microorganisms, or forthe contamination of food. Oneway to comply with thisrequirement is careful monitoringof physical factors such as time,temperature humidity, a w, pH,pressure, flow rate, andmanufacturing operations…§110.80(b)(4) Measures such assterilizing, irradiating, pasteurizing,freezing, refrigerating, controllingpH or controlling a w that are takento destroy or prevent the growthof undesirable microorganisms,particularly those of public healthsignificance, shall be adequateunder the conditions ofmanufacture, handling, anddistribution to prevent food frombeing adulterated within themeaning of the act.§110.80 (b)(14) Food such as, butnot limited to, dry mixes, nuts,intermediate moisture food, anddehydrated food, that relies onthe control of a w for preventing thegrowth of undesirablemicroorganisms shall be processedto and maintained at a safemoisture level. Compliance withthis requirement may beaccomplished by any effectivemeans, including employment ofone or more of the followingpractices:(i) Monitoring the a w of food(ii) Controlling the soluble solidswaterratio in finished food(iii) Protecting finished food frommoisture pickup, by the use of amoisture barrier or by othermeans, so that the a w of the fooddoes not increase to an unsafelevel. ■Reference: 4-1-96 Edition CFR, Part110-Current “Good ManufacturingPractice in Manufacturing, Packing, orHolding Human Food”.7▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼■ Customer service isone of our strengths.Give us a jingle if youneed any product help.New foods instrument forthermal propertiesmeasurements.FROM APPLES TO ORANGES THE NEWThermoLink thermal propertiesinstrument measures Thermal Conductivity,Thermal Diffusivity, and Specific Heat of food products.Using heat pulse technology, the dual needle probe emitsa heat pulse which is then read, and subsequentlyinterpreted, by the hand-held microcontroller.Contract Decagon for more information on this excitingnew instrument! ■Decagon Devices, Inc. publishes Water Activity News annually. Nosubscription or dues. ISSN# 1083-3943. Printed in USA. ©1997 Decagon 5K.▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼Dear customer,This year is a special anniversary for us. We sold thefirst AquaLab (a model CX1) 10 years ago, in May 1987.Since then we have built and sold thousands ofAquaLabs. We plan to continue offering innovativesolutions for your measurement problems for manyyears to come.Our greatest moments come when a customer lets usknow how much they like having a fast, accurate, andeasy determination of water activity. Don’t just tell ushow much you like AquaLab, tell a friend. If your friendbuys AquaLab, we’ll send you 500 sample cups free ofcharge.Free product literaturefrom Decagon.Water activity related magazinereprints❑ Food Water Relations Reprint, FoodTech Europe,Grant Harris, Dec 95/Jan 96 issue.❑ Food Product Design Magazine Reprint, Ray Marsili,Dec 1993, Water activity: why it’s important and how tomeasure it.❑ Typical Range of Water Activities Table, Beuchat,1981, Cereal Foods World, pg. 345-349.Annual Decagon newsletters❑ Water Activity News 1997❑ Water Activity News 1996❑ Water Activity News 1995 - premier issueProduct Information❑ AquaLab product catalog❑ Verification Standards specification sheet❑ AquaLab specification sheetPrice Lists❑ AquaLab Domestic price list❑ AquaLab International price listHelpful hints❑ AquaLab Survival Tips Leaflet❑ How to clean your AquaLab (cartoon)■ AquaLab hasbeen shining forover 10 years.▲ Photocopy list, check selections, and fax withyour mailing address to: 509-332-5158We look forward to serving you.Tamsin CampbellAquaLab Product ManagerDecagon Devices, Inc.Post Office Box 835Pullman, Washington 99163■ Decagon is amember of the AOACInternational, ascientific associationdedicated toanalyticalexcellence.8■ Call us todayfor a free fullcolor catalogabout AquaLab.509-332-2756fax 509-332-5158aqualab@decagon.com▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼