water activity - measurement & control · water activity what is equilibrium relative humidity?...

• DetermineproductqualitywithROTRONICAwproducts

• ROTRONICAwdevicesforlaboratoryandportablesystems

• SpecialUSBprobesfordirectPCconnection

• AwQuickfunctionprovidesaccurateAwreadings

withinafewminutes

• Laboratorybench-topindicatorreadsupto4probes

simultaneously

• Largechoiceofprobesfordifferentapplications

• Easytocalibrateandmaintain

FAST AND PRECISE WATER ACTIVITY MEASUREMENTS.INTRODUCING AIRCHIP DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY.

WATER ACTIVITY MEASUREMENT

WATER ACTIVITY

ROTRONIC offers a complete range of water activity products. Use any combination of probes to fit your application.

ROTRONIC products are freely combinable and can be perfectly adapted to your needs. The devices are accurate and

are characterized by their high efficiency, exchangeability, and ease of calibration.

BE PRECISE:ADVANTAGES AT A GLANCE.

What is water activity?Wateractivity,bydefinition,isthemeasurementofwater

vaporpressuregeneratedby the freeornon-chemically

bound water in foods and other products. The bound

waterandmoisturecontentcannotbemeasureddirectly

withthismethod.TheAwvalue(range:0.00...1.00aw)is

animportantindicatorfortheshelflifeoffoods,pharma-

ceuticalandcosmeticproductsanditstronglyinfluences

theoccurrenceandgrowthofmicroorganisms.

Water activity Contaminantaw=0.91…0.95 Manybacteriaaw=0.88 Manyyeastsaw=0.80 Manymildewsaw=0.75 Halophilebacteriaaw=0.70 Osmiophileyeastsaw=0.65 Xerophilemildew

WATER ACTIVITY

Why measure water activity?Thefreewaterinaproductinfluencesitsmicrobiological,chemicalandenzymaticstability.Thisisofgreatimportanceespeciallyforper-

ishableproductssuchasfoods,grains,seedsandparticularlyforpharmaceuticalpowdersandtablets.Ifthereistoomuchfreewater,the

foodisspoiled.Toolittlewatercanadverselyaffectproductproperties.

Thetableshowstypicalgrowththresholdsbelowwhichthespecifiedorganismcannot

reproduceandthereforespoiltheproduct.Thereforewateractivityhasasignificantim-

pactontheshelflifeofaproduct.

Themeasurementofwateractivityalsoprovidesusefulinformationaboutcharacteristics

suchascohesion,storability,agglomerationorflowpropertiesofpowdersandtabletsor

theadhesionofcoatings.

Aw Quick functionality for very fast and precise resultsRegularAwmeasurementtakesaboutanhourtodetermineexactAwvalue.TheROTRONICAwQuickfunctionallowsAwmeasurement

resultsin5minutesorless.Thefunctionisnearlyaspreciseastheregularmeasurementmethod.Itrequiresanenvironmentwithstable

temperaturesvariationswhichismostlygiveninlaboratoryandindoorapplications.Thebench-topunitHygroLabC1,thehandhelddevice

HP23-AW-AandthesoftwareHW4-P-QUICK-VxallincludetheAwQuickcapability.

Foradditionaltimesavingupto4probescanbeconnectedtotheHygroLabC1.Forapplicationswithalargeamountofmeasurementsup

to64USBprobescanbedirectlyconnectedtotheHW4softwarewhichalsoprovidestheAwQuickfunction.

AllmeasurementresultsaresavedinlogfileseitherdirectlyinthedeviceorviatheHW4softwareonthePC.

Software calibrationIt'sessentialthatinstrumentshaveregularcalibrationcheckstraceabletonationalstand-

ardsensuringoptimumperformanceatalltimes.HW4softwareprovidesconvenient,easy

tousecontrolofthecalibrationprocess,andifrequired,thesensoradjustmentsequence:

• Fullsoftwarecontrolofcalibrationoradjustmentsequenceandtiming

• Singleormultiplepointsadjustment/calibration

• Preciseadjustmentto0.001Aw(0.1%RH)and0.1K

• Automaticgenerationofadjustment,calibrationandconfigurationreports

• Pre-configuredtosuitROTRONICSCScertifiedhumiditystandards

• Userconfigurablecalibrationandadjustmentprocess

WATER ACTIVITY

What is equilibrium relative humidity?Equilibriumrelativehumidity(ERH)isthevalueofrelativehumidityintowhichahygroscopicproductcanbeplacedwherenonetexchangeof

moisturebetweentheproductandthesurroundingenvironmentcantakeplace.Itisexpressedonascaleof0…100%.ERHistypicallyusedinthe

paperandpharmaceuticalindustries,butcanbeappliedtoalmostanyproductthatissensitivetomoisture,orwherethepresenceofmoisture

canaffectproducthandling.

Aw or ERH?BothAwandERHareanexpressionoftheamountoffreewatervaporpresentonaproduct,bothatitssurfaceandwithinitsstructure,andare

practicallythesamemeasurementexpressedinaslightlydifferentway.Throughoutthisbrochurewewillrefertowateractivity,butthiscanbe

interchangedwithERH.Wherespecified,ROTRONICproductsoffertheusertheoptiontoselectdisplayunitsasAwor%RH.

What is water content?Watercontent,whenreferring toasolidmaterial, isanexpressionof thepercentageof thematerialsweightwhich iswater (both in liquidor

gaseousphase);usuallyreferredtoas‘percentmoisturecontent’.Thistermiswidelyusedinmanyareasofindustry.

Water activity or water content?There is frequently confusion between water activity and water content

measurements. In many industries, water content is used to control the

amountofwaterpresentinaproductforquantitativereasons.Forexample,

ifaproduct issoldbyweight,controlling itswatercontentmaybeuseful

in maintaining product quality, but can also impact on profitability (more

waterequalsmoreprofit).Wateractivity ismoresignificant forqualitative

considerations such as product stability, shelf life (e.g. microbiological &

enzymaticstability,aroma retention),handlingcharacteristics (e.g.agglo-

meration of powders), physical properties (e.g. dimensions of paper) and

chemicalstability(e.g.pharmaceuticals).Wateractivityandwatercontent

canberelatedbyagraphcalledaSorptionIsotherm(seediagram)soifthe

user has the ability to measure both parameters, the relationship can be

definedandeachparameterderivedfromtheother(interpolation).Inpractice,thesorptionisothermmaybeimpracticaltouse,because,notonly

doestherelationshipbetweenAwandmoisturecontentchangewithtemperatureofmeasurement,butalsoanyvariationsinthematerialcompo-

sitionhasamodifyingeffect.Thisisespeciallythecasewithproductsofnaturaloriginsuchasfoodandpaper.Theusershouldthereforedecide

whichparameterofmeasurementisbestsuitedtotheirproductsandprocesses.Forqualitycontrolpurposesmoisturecontentlimitsareeasily

convertedtowateractivitylimitsbyverysimplecomparativetests.Wateractivitymeasurementoffersanon-destructive,easy-to-usemeasurement

inawiderangeofconvenientconfigurationsforbothlaboratoryandon-siteuse.

WATER ACTIVITY

Order code HygroLab C1

Probeconnections 4xHC2stationprobeorHC2insertionprobe

Parametersshown Aw,%RH,°C,°F

AwQuickfunction IntegratedandviaHW4softwareHW4-P-QUICK-Vx(inshipmentincluded)

Calculations Allpsychrometriccalculationsavailableoruserdefinedcalculations

Probeadjustment Singleormultiplepointforrelativehumidity&temperature

Oneortwopointtemperature

Memory 4x500Awvalues(2,000Awvalues)

Measurementinterval 1s

Start-uptime 3s

Powersupply 8…16VDCwithACadapter

Interfaces EthernetandUSB

HW4compatible V3.1andhigher

Rangeofapplication -10…60°C(14…140°F)/0…1Aw/0…100%RH

LCD 3-linealphanumericwithtrendindicators

Clock Realtimeclockprovidesatimestampforeverymeasurement

Currentconsumption Max.120mA(12VDC,backlightON,4probesconnected,Ethernet)

IPprotectionclass IP21

CE/EMCconform EMC2008/108/EG

FDA/GAMP FDA21CFRpart11/GAMP5

Dimensions/Weight 225x170x70mm/1100g

Material Aluminum,ABS-757

HygroLab C1

Laboratory applicationROTRONICprovidesahigh-endlaboratorydevice–theHygroLabC1–for

wateractivitymeasurementswithuptofourprobes.Connectstation

probesandinsertionprobesformeasuringwateractivityincheese,meat,

tobacco,buildingmaterials,animalfeed,pharmaceuticalsproductsand

muchmore.

Validated softwareEasy-to-useandintuitive,thelaboratorygradeindicatorcanbeusedby

anyone.HW4runningonaPCprovidesremotemonitoringwithcharting

anddatarecordingfunctions.

Features• 4inputchannelsforHC2stationprobesorHC2insertionprobes

canbeconnectedformeasurementofwateractivity,relativehumidity

andtemperature

• AwQuickfunctionforfastmeasurementresults(typically4-5minutes)

• Audiblealarmtoindicatecompletedmeasurement

• Savesupto2,000datarecordswith%RH,°C/°F,dateandtime

PS-40

HC2-AW

WP-40

AW-KHS

WATER ACTIVITY

Order code HC2-AW

Probetype MeasurementprobewithUARTinterface

Connection ViaUART,1mcable

Forusewith HygroLabC1,HP23-AW-A

Accuracyat23°C±5K(73.4°F) ±0.008Aw/±0.8%RH/±0.1K

Temperaturedependence 0.001K/K,0.0002aw/K

Sensor HYGROMER®WA-1/Pt-100,1/3DINClassB

Calculations Deworfrostpoint

Longtermstability <1%RH/year

Powersupply Viadisplayinstruments

Rangeofapplication -40…85°C(-40…185°F)/0…100%RH

Filtertype Wiremeshfilterwith20…25μmporesize

Responsetimet63 <20s


Start-uptime 1.5s

IPprotection IP20

CE/EMCconformity EMC2008/108/EG


Dimensions/Weight Ø68x60mm/600g

Material Stainlesssteel,aluminum

Aw station probesThestationprobesaredesignedforusingwithHygroLabC1

orHygroPalmHP23-AW-A.Measurementofwateractivitywiththis

digitalprobeisprecise,fastandeasy.Theprobecanbecalibra-

tedwiththeHygroLabC1orviatheHW4software.Minimized

internalvolumeofthesensorchamberensuresfastequilibrium

withallproducts,andanallmetalconstructionensuresgood

temperaturestabilityduringmeasurements,withstainlesssteel

usedonallcriticalsurfaces.Sampleholders,samplecontainers

andasealingmechanismaredetailedinaccessories.

Typical accessoriesSampleholders: WP-14-S,WP-40,WP-40TH

Disposablesamplecontainer: PS-14(14mmdeep),PS-40(40mmdeep)

Note: Ordersamplecontainersseparately.

Sampleholderscanalsobeusedascalibrationdevice.

Typical accessories

WATER ACTIVITY

Order code HP23-AW-A

Probeconnections 2HygroClip2oranaloginput0…3.2VDC(powersupplyforanalogprobe:5VDC)

Parametersshown Aw,%RH,°C,°F

AwQuickfunction IntegratedorviaoptionalHW4softwareHW4-P-QUICK-Vx

Calculations Allpsychrometriccalculationsavailable

Probeadjustment Singleormultiplepointforrelativehumidity&temperatureoneortwopointtemperature

Memory Capturemode:8x250values

Loggingmode:10,000values

Measurementinterval 1s,10s,1min,10min

Start-uptime 3s

Powersupply 9VbatteryorUSB/mainsadapterviaminiUSB

Interfaces MiniUSB

HW4compatible Yes,forallHW4versions

Rangeofapplication -10…60°C(14…140°F)/0…1Aw/0…100%RH

LCD 3-linealphanumericwithtrendindicators

Clock Realtimeclockprovidesatimestampforeverymeasurement

Currentconsumption Max.20mA(backlightON)

IPprotectionclass IP30

CE/EMCconform EMC2008/108/EG


Dimensions/Weight 188x72x30mm/200g

Material ABS

HygroPalm23-AW-A

Field applicationTheHygroPalmHP23-AW-Aofferstheperfectsolutionforon-sitewateractivitymeasure-

mentstoconfirmproductstabilityandindicateshelflife.TheHP23-AW-Aissuitable

asamobilelaboratoryunit.EqualtotheHygroLabC1theHP23-AW-Aisperfectasa

portableanalyzerwithtwoprobeinputsforanysuitableHC2probe.TheHP23-AW-Acan

alsobeusedinconjunctionwithHW4-P-QUICK-Vx.

Portable and convenientHandheldinstrumentspeciallyconfiguredtosuitthewateractivityuser.Itincludesmany

oftheadvancedfeaturesoftheHygroLabC1,butinaconvenientportableconfiguration.

Features• 2inputchannelsforHC2stationprobesorHC2insertionprobescanbeconnected

formeasurementofwateractivity,relativehumidityandtemperature

• AwQuickfunctionforfastmeasurementresults(typically4-5minutes)

• Audiblealarmtoindicatecompletedmeasurement

• Savesupto10,000datarecordswith%RH,°C/°F,dateandtime

• Batterychargingfunction

Compatible products

Wateractivityprobe: HC2-AW

Insertionprobe: HC2-P05,HC2-HP28,HC2-HP50

WATER ACTIVITY

Aw Insertion probes

For direct measurementTheinsertionprobesarefordirectmeasurementofwateractivityinbulk

samples.Applicationsincludepowders,granules,grainandcereals.

HC2-HPinsertionprobesfeaturearobust10mmdiameterstainlesssteel

probewithreplaceablesinteredsteeldustfilterformeasurementindust

bulkmaterial.

Fordustfreeapplicationsliketablets,gelcapsules,grainandplastic

granulestheHC2-P05fitsperfectlywithitslasercutslots.

Features• 5mminsertionprobeformeasurement

indust-freebulkmaterials

• 10mminsertionprobeformeasurement

industybulkmaterials

HC2-HP28/50probe

HC2-P05probe

Order code HC2-P05 HC2-HP28 HC2-HP50

Probelength Ø5x200mm Ø10x280mm Ø10x500mm

Forusewith HygroLabC1,HP23-AW-A

Accuracyat23°C±5K(73.4°F) ±0.015Aw/1.5%RH/±0.3K ±0.008Aw/0.8%RH/±0.1K

Temperaturedependence 0.001K/K,0.02%rh/K

Sensor HYGROMER®IN-1/Pt-100,1/3DINClassB



Powersupply 3.2…5VDC,calibratedat3.3VDC,current:~4.5mA

Digitalinterface UARTtootherROTRONICdevicesorPC(HW4)


Filtertype Nofilteravailable Sinteredsteelwith5μmporesize

Responsetimet63 <15s <20s,withfilter


Start-uptime 1.5s

IPprotection IP30 IP50

CE/EMCconformity 2007/108/EG

FDA/GAMP FDACFR21part11/GAMP5

Weight 160g 200g 300g

Material StainlesssteelDIN1.4305(probe),POM(handle)

WATER ACTIVITY

Station probe HC2-AW-USB

Multi station applicationThenewstationprobeHC2-AW-USBoffersnewpossibilities.TheUSB

probecanbedirectlyconnectedtoaPCrunningHW4-P-QUICK-Vxsoftware

enablingwateractivitymeasurementcapability.TheHC2-AW-USBisthe

perfectdeviceforamultistationapplication,asmultipleprobescanbe

attachedtoasinglePC.

USB station probesUSBprobescanbeorderedassingleprobeorasasetincludingtheHW4

softwarewithAwQuickfunction.Thesetoffersallpossibilitiestomeasu-

rewateractivity.

Features• CompletesetofprobeandHW4includingAwQuickfunctionavailable

• Measurementrange:

0.00…1.00Aw(0…100%RH),-40…85°C(-40..185°F)

• USBinterfacefordirectconnectiontoaPC(HC2-AW-USB)

Typical accessoriesSampleholders: WP-14-S,WP-40,WP-40TH

Disposablesamplecontainer: PS-14(14mmdeep),PS-40(40mmdeep)

Note: Ordersamplecontainersseparately.

Sampleholderscanalsobeusedascalibrationdevice.

Order code HC2-AW-USB HC2-AW-USB-SW

Probetype MeasurementprobewithUSBinterface Measurementprobeandsoftware

HW4-P-QUICK-Vx

Connection ViaUSBtoPC,3mcable

Forusewith SoftwareHW4

Accuracyat23°C±5K(73.4°F) ±0.008Aw/±0.8%RH/±0.1K

Temperaturedependence 0.001K/K,0.0002Aw/K

Sensor HYGROMER®WA-1/Pt-100,1/3DINClassB



Powersupply ViaUSBinterface


Filtertype Wiremeshfilterwith20…25μmporesize

Responsetimet63 <20s


Start-uptime 1.5s

IPprotection IP20

CE/EMCconformity EMC2008/108/EG


Dimensions/Weight Ø68x60mm/600g

Material Stainlesssteel,aluminum

WATER ACTIVITY

Aw-SetsTheROTRONICAwstarterkitsincludeeverythingneededformeasurementand

calibration.Theportableunitsaresuppliedinarobustcarrycase.

Bench-top kit:Order code HygroLab C1-SET-40

Setcontent Benchtopdisplaydevice: HygroLabC1Including:

-PoweradapterAC->DC12V-HW4softwarewithAw-Quick

Measurementprobe HC2-AW

USB-CableforPCconnection AC0002

Sampleholder: WP-40

Disposablesamplecontainer(100pc.) PS-14


Humiditystandards0.5%RH EA00-SCS

Humiditystandards10%RH EA10-SCS




Handheld kit:Order code HP23-AW-A-SET-14 with14mmsampleholder

Setcontent Handheldinstrument HP23-AW-A


Sampleholder WP-14-S






Carrycase AC1124

Order code HP23-AW-A-SET-40 with40mmsampleholder

Setcontent Handheldinstrument HP23-AW-A


Sampleholder WP-40






Carrycase AC1124

WATER ACTIVITY

Aw Accessories

Sample holders and sample containersThe sample holders provide excellent sample containment and optimum temperature stability. The WP-40TH can be attached

toawaterbathforadditionaltemperaturecontrol.

Thedisposablesamplecontainersensuretheoptimumsamplevolumeisintroducedintothesampleholders.Theypreventthe

sampleholdersfromcomingintodirectcontactwiththeproductbeingtested,therebypreventingsoilingorcrosscontamination.

Thesamplecontainersalsoprovideaconvenientmeansofcollectingandstoringsamples.

Sample holdersOrder code WP-14-S WP-40 WP-40TH

Type Sampleholder

Usewith PS-14 PS-14/PS-40 PS-14/PS-40

Height 14mm 40mm 40mm

Material V2Asteel Brass,nickel-plated

Weight 350g 1250g 1550g

Sample holdersOrder code PS-14 PS-40

Type Samplecontainer

Usewith WP-14-SWP-40/WP-40TH WP-40/WP-40TH

Height 14mm 40mm

Packagingunit 100pc.

Clamp sealing mechanismInthecaseofverydryorverymoistsamplesadditionalmechanicalsealingoftheAwmeasurement

probeandsampleholdermaybenecessarytopreventexternalconditionsinfluencingthesample.

Order code AW-KHS

Usewith WP-40/WP-40TH

Weight 1100g

WATER ACTIVITY

HW4 Software

Fully compatibleTheHW4softwareiscompatiblewithallROTRONICproductswithUSB,UARTorEthernet

interface.TheHW4softwareisWINDOWS7compatibleandrunson64bitPCsystems.

Itenablesusefulfunctionslike:

• Livedisplayofcurrentmeasurements

• Recordingofmeasurementdata

• Instrumentconfiguration

• Probecalibration

• Onlinecalculationofanyhumidityormoistureparameter

• Alarmswithnotificationcanbesentviae-mailorSMStext

• AwQuickfunctionincluded(HW4-P-QUICK-Vx)

Viewing of measured values/monitoringViewingofmeasuredvaluesisveryeasyanduser-friendly.Filesofanydeviceshownin

thedevicetreecanbecopiedandopeneddirectlywiththeHW4explorer.Thedatais

presentedintableorgraphform.Thegraphmodulecanbeconfiguredbytheuser.

Instrument configurationHW4softwarecanbeusedtoadjustthesettingsofROTRONICinstrumentsandprobes.

Thefollowingfunctionsandsettingscanbechanged:

• Generaldevicesettings

• Passwordprotectionofdevicesettings

• Changeofunitsystemsmetric/english

• Awmodesettings

Humidity standardsOn-sitecalibrationandadjustmentofROTRONICprobes.Withthehumiditystandards,

acalibrationdeviceandHW4softwarerunningonaPCthisiseasilyachieved.Itisalso

possibletocalibrateandadjustprobeswiththeHygroLabC1orHP23-AW-A.

Order code Humidity value Uncertainty at 23 °C (73.4 °F)

EA00-SCS 0.5%RH ±0.3%RH

EA05-SCS 5%RH

EA10-SCS 10%RH

EA20-SCS 20%RH

EA35-SCS 35%RH ±0.5%RH


EA60-SCS 60%RH

EA75-SCS 75%RH


EA95-SCS 95%RH

5903

0E/2

012-

05

ROTRONIC WORLDWIDE

ROTRONICispresentinmorethan40countriesworldwide.Youwillalwaysfindacompleteandup-to-date

listofourpartnersatwww.rotronic.com/international.

ROTRONICInternational

ROTRONICPartners

SINGAPOREROTRONIC South East Asia Pte Ltd16KallangPlace#07-04Singapore339156Telephone+6562946065Fax+6562946096www.rotronic.com.sg

UKROTRONIC Instruments UK Ltd.CromptonFields,CromptonWayCrawley,WestSussexRH109EEPhone+441293571000Fax+441293571008www.rotronic.co.uk

FRANCEROTRONIC Sarl56,Bld.deCourcerin,F-77183Croissy-BeaubourgTelephone+33160950710Fax+33160171256Www.rotronic.fr

CHINAROTRONIC Shanghai Rep. Office2B,ZaoFongUniverseBuilding,No.1800ZhongShanWestRoad,Shanghai200233,ChinaTelephone+864008162018Fax+861082254374www.rotronic.cn

ITALYROTRONIC Italia srlViaRepubblicadiSanMarino1I-20157MilanoTelephone+3902-39.00.71.90Fax+3902-33.27.62.99www.rotronic.it

SWITZERLANDROTRONIC AGGrindelstrasse6,CH-8303BassersdorfPhone+41448381144Fax+41448370073www.rotronic.ch

GERMANYROTRONIC Messgeräte GmbHEinsteinstrasse17–23,D-76275EttlingenPhone+497243383250Fax+497243383260www.rotronic.de

USAROTRONIC Instrument Corp.Suite150,135EngineersRoad,Hauppauge,NY11788Telephone+16314273898Fax+16314273902www.rotronic-usa.com

water activity - measurement & control · water activity what is equilibrium relative humidity?...

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