Chocolate field glossary
Water activity
A measure of water available for microbial growth and reactions, not simply total moisture.
Post-harvest · working definitionUse the word
Use the word
with precision.
- Why it matters
- It describes how much water is available for microbial growth and reactions, helping explain safety and storage risk beyond total moisture.
- Common confusion
- Two foods can have similar moisture percentages but different water activity because water is bound differently.
- Practical example
- A stable low-moisture chocolate still requires hygienic manufacturing because pathogens can survive even when they cannot grow.
Evidence trailRead beyond
Read beyond
the definition.
StandardCode of hygienic practice for low-moisture foods
Hygiene and pathogen-control framework relevant to cocoa and chocolate as low-moisture foods.
FAO / WHO Codex Alimentarius ↗Public institutionHazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls: Appendix 1Identifies known or reasonably foreseeable hazards for cocoa, chocolate and confectionery processes.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration ↗