PET Food Processing - September 2020 - 33

Pet chews, semi-moist treats and all "dry" pet
food and treats need a certain level of water
to be edible and to maintain product quality.
Fiberstar

Refinements now allow MoistTech's
sensors to be pre-calibrated by the factory to fit the exact customer needs
based on samples they provide. The
process is then a plug-and-play operation with no changes needed.
Industry insiders explain that if the
water activity is not controlled properly, it will lead to a reduction in stability and the inability to meet best-by
labels. This could lead to recalls and
complaints with the potential of millions of dollars of lost revenue plus
reputation damage.
"However, if the steps are taken to
identify the critical water activity range
and this is implemented as the release
specification, and the proper packaging is researched and implemented,
there is low risk for problems," Carter
explained. "Typically, the problems
come when companies are still trying to use moisture content to release
products even though they know
water activity is the more appropriate monitoring tool. They rely on the
water activity being OK as long as the
moisture content meets specification."
The problem is that the inherent error in moisture content measurement
and a lack of understanding of the relationship between moisture content
and water activity (called the moisture
sorption isotherm) can result in a longtrusted moisture content spec failing.
"I have seen multiple examples of
this occurring and leaves the manufacturer perplexed as to why their
moisture content spec would suddenly let them down and it is always related to an undetected change in water activity," Carter said. "Millions in
lost dollars could have been avoided if
only the product were being released
on a water activity specification."

Companies evolve
Clean label is one of the biggest
growing trends in pet foods and

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33

www.petfoodprocessing.net | September 2020 | PET FOOD PROCESSING
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PET Food Processing - September 2020

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