Question Bank • QB_DFE_EXP_005 NAT • 2 Marks

Section 7: Dairy and Food Engineering

Heat and Mass Transfer

Subtopic: Water activity, sorption and desorption isotherms

Question Statement:

At $25^\circ\text{C}$, the partial vapor pressure of water in equilibrium with a dehydrated food product is $2.25\text{ kPa}$. Pure water has a saturation vapor pressure of $3.17\text{ kPa}$ at the same temperature. The water activity ($a_w$) of the food is ________ (round off to 2 decimal places).

Answer Key:

0.71

Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation

Water activity is defined as: $a_w = \frac{p}{p_0} = \frac{2.25\text{ kPa}}{3.17\text{ kPa}} \approx 0.7098 \approx 0.71$
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