The Importance of Free Water Activity in the Food Industry: AQUALAB by Addium Instruments as the Benchmark Standard

Event organized by Ghiaroni Group and Addium.

With over 40 years of experience and 34,000 clients worldwide, Addium is indisputably the leading company in water activity ($a_w$) measurement through its AQUALAB instrument range. Considered the industry benchmark for safeguarding food safety, its instruments are chosen and regularly used by over 92% of global food and pharmaceutical companies to control product stability. All Addium technology and dedicated expert technical support are distributed exclusively in Italy by RG Strumenti, part of the Ghiaroni Group.

Ghiaroni Group is a leading Italian hub in scientific instrumentation and supplies for chemical, biological, and analytical laboratories. Backed by a solid history of over 50 years, the Group has recently implemented a aggressive expansion strategy, completing four strategic acquisitions over the past two years. Its objective is to deliver integrated, end-to-end solutions: from laboratory design to consumable supplies, through to calibration services and regulatory validation across the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, nutraceutical, and agrifood sectors.

Session Overview

Measuring free water activity (aw) is a critical parameter in food production and preservation: the aw value provides indispensable insights for determining a product's shelf life. Every company must thoroughly understand its product's characteristics to adopt the most suitable preservation techniques, ensuring consumers receive safe, appealing food throughout its shelf life.

The water activity parameter is not merely a quality control measure; it is data that guides and supports the food production process itself. Instruments used to determine such an important and strategic parameter must be precise, reliable, and fast.

Addium—a historic leader in water activity (aw) control instrumentation for over 40 years—grounds its technology in science and empirical data, gathering all required information using effective sensors tailored to each product type. The company highlights three main solutions:

• AQUALAB 4TE: The laboratory benchmark featuring a chilled-mirror dew point sensor to achieve maximum accuracy in under 5 minutes.
• AQUALAB TDL 2: Equipped with laser technology, essential for products containing volatile components.
• AQUALAB 5TE: The new flagship model combining water activity ($a_w$) and moisture content determinations in just 60 seconds.

Additionally, Addium provides modern software designed to analyze data and optimize results.

Leveraging years of research into water activity and its related parameters, AQUALAB by Addium also offers the AQUALAB VSA isotherm generator for advanced shelf-life studies by calculating product-specific dynamic isotherms.

capabilities are backed by certified calibration standards across various $a_w$ values to ensure full regulatory compliance.

In this presentation, we will explore why 92% of global food and pharmaceutical companies rely on AQUALAB, alongside current and future developments in the field.

Speakers

	Alessandra Jucca - Sr. Account Executive / Client Advisor EMEA Food & Pharma Innovation&Safety
	Federica Greci - Product Specialist RG Strumenti, Ghiaroni Group

 The event will be held in Italian

 English translation available (see below)