What is the moisture content of beef jerky?

What is the moisture content of beef jerky?

Background Current USDA standards require products labeled as jerky to have a Moisture:Protein Ratio (MPR) of 0.75 : 1 or lower. In the past meeting this labeling standard was regarded as also ensuring that pathogens wouldn’t grow on the product, i.e. the product was shelf-stable.

What is the pH of beef jerky?

5.94 to 6.28

How do you measure water activity in meat?

Water activity is equal to equilibrium relative humidity divided by 100: (a w = ERH/100) where ERH is the equilibrium relative humidity (%).

What is the difference between water content and water activity?

Moisture content defines the amount of water in your food and ingredients, but water activity explains how the water in your food will react with microorganisms. The higher the water activity, the faster microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and mold will be able to grow – resulting in higher standards of food storage.

How does salt reduce water activity?

Salt’s ability to decrease water activity is thought to be due to the ability of sodium and chloride ions to associate with water molecules (Fennema, 1996; Potter and Hotchkiss, 1995).

What are the methods of controlling water activity?

Heating, freeze drying, freeze concentration, and osmotic concentration methods are used to reduce water activity of foods. Dried or low-moisture foods do not contain more than 25% moisture.

Does salt help in fermentation?

Salt is an important ingredient in fermentation. Not only does it keep unwanted bacteria from propagating, it also helps to keep the vegetables crunchy and crisp, adds flavor, preserves vitamin content, and can slow the fermentation process to allow flavor to develop more fully.

How can water activity be controlled?

The most common way to lower a product’s water activity is to dry or bake it. (Although note that to do this properly, you must first understand the product’s moisture sorption isotherm). Water activity can also be controlled by adding humectants like salt, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, and maltodextrin.

How does freezing lower water activity?

Water activity (Aw) is a useful tool for monitoring product quality and safety for foods in the unfrozen state. Luckily, the frozen state drastically slows down most degradative reactions and hence provides similar controls to water activity in the unfrozen state.

What affects water activity?

Factors that Influence Water Activity

• Drying: Water activity is decreased by physically removing water (Ex: beef jerky).
• Solutes: Water activity is decreased by adding solutes such as salt or sugar (Ex: jams, cured meats).
• Freezing: Water activity is decreased by freezing (Ex: water is removed in the form of ice).

How do you reduce moisture in food?

Food preservation methods such as drying, freezing and adding salt or sugar work by lowering the available moisture in foods. Moisture in foods occurs in two forms: (1) water bound to ingredients in the food (proteins, salt, sugars), and (2) free or unbound water that is available for microbial growth.

How do you protect something from moisture?

How to Prevent Moisture in Your Storage Unit

1. Check humidity.
2. Inspect for leaks.
3. Choose your storage unit with care.
4. Make sure your stored items are 100% dry.
5. Install a vapor barrier.
6. Make your own desiccant.
7. Use charcoal.
8. Protect your things.

What do you put in a container to absorb moisture?

If you don’t have silica gel available, both salt and sugar are good moisture absorbers; although not quite as good as silica gel. Putting a teaspoon or two of either one in the container can accomplish almost the same thing.

Can you use cat litter to absorb moisture?

Cat litter can be beneficial in absorbing excess moisture in a room. For the purpose of absorbing moisture in a room, any cat litter will work, though clay and silica gel cat litters are the most absorbent.

Can I make my own Damp Rid?

Using silica dust or beads, you can make your own Damp Rid to help remove excess moisture from your home, trailer, or vehicle. Poke seven or eight holes in the lid of a clean, disposable plastic container with the pointed end of a pair of scissors or a sharp knife.