Lab

Water activity (aw) for low-moisture supplements

In short

Water activity (aw), the ratio of vapour pressure of water in the product to that of pure water, is the moisture parameter that actually governs microbial growth — not total moisture. aw <0.60 inhibits all microbial growth; <0.70 stops most yeasts/moulds; <0.85 stops Salmonella. Powder blends, gummies, chewables and softgels are evaluated by aw (AOAC 978.18 / ISO 21807); the gummy shelf-life model is built on aw + temperature, not LOD alone.

Regulatory anchors

AOAC 978.18
ISO 21807

How V5 handles it

QMS — quality records next to the work they concern.

Deviations, corrective actions and quality review sit in the same system as production, so each quality record references the work order, step and lot it concerns.

Document control — one version in force, every change signed and explained.

Draft the next revision while the current one stays in use, approve it under your sign-off route, and track training on it — with the history kept.

Related terms

Microbial Limits (Supplements)

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