Bob ,
We just bought the AquaLab series 3 TE Water Activity Meter  from Decagon.
Contact Anthony Fontana at (509)- 332-2756.

Lucy Kuriakose
Pfizer Global R&D
Morris Plains NJ
(973) 385-4359.

-----Original Message-----
From: Guardino, Robert F. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 12:33 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PMFLIST] Water Activity and Mold Growth



Could anyone recommend an instrument for water activity testing? And, do you
know the cost?

Bob

Robert F. Guardino
Associate Director Microbiology
AAI International
2320 Scientific Park Drive
Wilmington, NC 28405
Phone:  (910) 254-7635
Fax:    (910) 254-7416
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

        -----Original Message-----
From:   Brien C. David [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Friday, April 27, 2001 1:34 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: [PMFLIST] Water Activity and Mold Growth

        Mike,

        There is a book "Water Activity and Food ", Troller and Christian,
Academic
Press, 1978, that's dedicated to water activity from a foods perspective.
There
are appendices that capture the minimum aw required for survival of various
species of bacteria, mold and yeasts.  The rule of thumb is if you can drive
the
aw below .6, there shouldn't be any species that can proliferate.  Other
means
of mesuring water or moisture content such as LOD or Karl Fischer do not
predict
whether a species will survive or not.   We had an experience a few years
ago of
a mold that grew in tablets with an LOD moisture of 1.5%.  The aw was >.9.

        The typical means of measuring aw will work for the products that
you described
provided you can break them down into small quantities.

        Brien C. David
Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals



        From: "Villa, Mike" <[log in to unmask]> on 04/27/2001 02:14 PM GMT

                   "Villa, Mike"           To:   [log in to unmask]
        <[log in to unmask]>           Cc:    (bcc: Brien David-BC/PGI)
                           Subject:      [PMFLIST] Water Activity and Mold
                                Growth
     04/27/2001 10:14 AM
   Please respond to The
          Pharmaceutical
  Microbiology Mail List
 <[log in to unmask]>






        Hello all,
        Can anyone help me in providing any references regarding water
activity / humidity levels present in relatively dry products (i.e., wood
baskets, dried flowers, wood shavings) and the potential for mold growth?
I'm looking into a project involving these types of products in gift sets
and need to know if there is a potential for mold growth given the amount of

water in the product.  In other words, how dry should the product be to aid
in retarding mold growth?
        Many thanks in advance for any insight.
Mike Villa
Supervisor-Lab Services
Bath & Body Works
Phone - 614-856-6765
Fax - 614-856-6363


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