engleski

Fast moisture determination methods in flour samples

Moisture content is a property of major importance in food products in general. It influences processing and storage condition, shelf life, textural and technological qualities of raw materials, intermediate and finished products. The accurate and precise determination of moisture content can be very important directly at the production line as well as when the moisture determination is a part of some other specific analysis such as determination of the Falling Number of flour. Sometimes, the demands on speed measurements and simplicity of method, and available amount of sample can limit or define the analytical method. So, the aim of this work was to compare the two different devices for fast determination of moisture content in flour samples. One of them is an electronic moisture analyser (“ HR73 Moisture Analyser” Mettler Toledo) equipped with a halogen heater, which generates infrared radiation, and its moisture determination is based on thermogravimetry. The other is “ Pfeuffer HE 50 Moisture Analyser” , which measures variability in conductivity, i.e. electrical resistance, which is a consequence of the sample water content. Moisture determinations on both analysers were performed according to recommendations of the device manufacturer. Obtained results were compared with the routine reference method (ISO/DIS 712:1995) results for each sample, and statistically processed in order to evaluate accuracy and repeatability of those two analytical methods. Statistical analysis showed satisfactory results for “ HR73 Moisture Analyser” , while the moisture content values attained on “ Pfeuffer HE 50 Moisture Analyser” significantly differed from the reference method results. Therefore, it can be concluded that the "HR73 Moisture Analyser", is a better device for the fast moisture determination in flour samples.

wheat flour; moisture content; analytical methods

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