April 2016

Technical information note

Water activity and its relevance

Water activity (Aw) is a measure of the available water in a Product Water Aw
food matrix. Water which is not bound to food components is content
available for microbial growth, so reducing the water activity
Milk 88% 0.993-0.995
is a reliable method of limiting the growth of pathogenic and
Dried Milk Products 2-4% 0.1-0.3
spoilage organisms.
Butter (unsalted) 16% >0.97
Water activity is measured on a scale from 0 (completely
Butter (salted) 14% 0.91-0.94
dehydrated) to 1.0 (pure water). This value represents the ratio
of the water vapour pressure of the food to the water vapour Whole milk plain yoghurt 82-84% 0.97-0.99
pressure of pure water under the same conditions. Most foods Condensed milk 73% 0.98-0.99
have a water activity in the range of 0.2 (for very dry foods) to (evaporated milk)
0.99 (for moist fresh foods). Sweetened condensed milk 27% 0.77-0.85
Brie 45-49% 0.97-0.98
Water activity and microbial growth Cheddar 36-37% 0.90-0.95
Feta 50-57% 0.95
In the absence of other inhibitory factors, all types of
Parmesan 18-30% 0.85-0.92
microorganisms will proliferate in foods with water activities
greater than 0.95. However their ability to grow at lower Table 2: Approximate water content and water activity of some
values is dependent on a number of factors such as type of common dairy products (Ruegg, 1985, Dairy Processing
organism, temperature, pH and presence of preservatives. Handbook, 2015).
Bacteria will not grow at a water activity of less than 0.87,
while yeasts and moulds are capable of growth at much lower Different dairy products can have highly variable water
levels (down to 0.7). Minimum water activity for growth of activities due to different production techniques (such as
some important food pathogens are provided in Table 1. drying, salting, ripening and ingredients). There is often
variation between the water activities of the same product
Micro-organism Minimum water activity due to the differences in conditions during preparation of
for growth individual batches.
B. cereus 0.93 In some dairy products such as dried powders, water activity
Campylobacter spp. 0.987 is reduced to levels which cannot support microbial growth,
E. coli 0.95 enabling a very long shelf life. While bacteria are generally
L. monocytogenes 0.92 unable to grow in such products, some species can remain
Salmonella spp. 0.94 viable for long periods of time. Growth can then occur once
the water activity is increased, such as when milk powders are
S. aureus 0.83
(toxin production) 0.87 reconstituted. A number of outbreaks have resulted from the
contamination of infant milk powders with Salmonella and
Table 1: Minimum water activity for growth of pathogens Cronobacter sakazakii (Motarjemi & Lelieveld, 2014). Reducing
when other conditions are near optimum (FSANZ, 2013).
water activity is a control step NOT a kill step, and is a critical
control point for products relying on this parameter for safety.
The moisture content of a dairy product is not a good
indicator of water activity. Ingredients such as sugar and
salt bind water, making it unavailable for microbial growth.
Hence, moist foods with a high sugar and salt content will
have a lower water activity compared to foods with the
same moisture content but lower concentrations of salt
and sugar. The moisture content and water activity of some
common dairy products is shown in Table 2.
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Measurement of water activity References

Instruments for measuring water activity vary in their precision, Dairy Processing Handbook (2015) Tetra Pak Processing
calibration, stability of calibration and the accuracy of their Systems, Sweden
sensor. Reliable results are only obtained from a correctly FSANZ (2013) Agents of Foodborne Illness. 2nd ed, Food
operated and calibrated instrument. Standards Australia New Zealand, Canberra.
The most common method of measuring water activity Motarjemi et. al. (2014) Milk and Dairy Products. In Food
involves allowing a food to come to equilibrium with a Safety Management. Motarjemi Y. and Lelieveld H. Eds.
small headspace in a tight enclosure, and then measuring Academic Press. London. UK (p 111)
the relative humidity. Water activity is equal to equilibrium
relative humidity (ERH) divided by 100 (aw = ERH/100). M. Ruegg (1985) Water in dairy products related to quality,
with special reference to cheese. In Properties of Water in
Instruments for measuring water activity are available from Foods. Volume 90 of the series NATO ASI Series pp 603-625
laboratory suppliers. Where testing is done in-house, the
instrument should be operated and maintained according
to the manufacturer’s instructions, and calibration solutions Further information
should always be used. Commercial laboratories also offer Further food safety technical information is available at
testing services and it is important that the laboratory www.dairysafe.vic.gov.au
demonstrates competency in the testing method. Or contact Dairy Food Safety Victoria on (03) 9810 5900 or
[email protected]
©Dairy Food Safety Victoria 2016

Key points to consider

• Water activity is an important predictor of microbial
growth in food products.
• Bacteria, yeasts and moulds will grow prolifically at water
activities greater than 0.95, particularly when other
conditions such as pH and temperature are optimal.
• Dairy manufacturers need to understand how water
activity affects the microbial safety and shelf life of their
products.
• Measurement of water activity should be undertaken
by a competent analyst.

This document is intended to be used as a general guide only and is not a comprehensive statement of all the relevant
considerations with respect to your particular circumstances, nor does it comprise, or substitute for, legal or professional advice.
DFSV does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of the information. Links to other websites are
provided as a service to users and do not constitute endorsement, nor are we able to give assurances of the accuracy of their
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