Definition

Intermediate moisture foods are those that can be consumed as they are without the need for
rehydrate them for your consumption o refrigerate them for on conservation
They are characterized for to have one long life of shelf

Existen muchas definiciones de estos productos.

For example, it is established that they are those that can be consumed as such without the need to prehydrate them or
refrigerate them for preservation.

Materials with a high level of moisture that do not cause a feeling of dryness are also considered.
but low enough to have a proper shelf life.

rehydration or cooling to preserve, making them suitable for areas and countries where the
Cooling does not exist or is very expensive.

Intermediate moisture foods have a long shelf life and do not require rehydration or
cooling to preserve itself,

Definition:

According to the values of their aqueous activity, there are some discrepancies among authors; some of them
they range between 0.65 and 0.90, others between 0.70 and 0.85, and some more between 0.60 and 0.85, etc. In general terms,
they are described as foods with a moisture content of 25 to 50% (wet basis) and with an aw of 0.65 to
0.90, but some authors suggest that they should be defined as products with a maximum value of 0.86, which is
sufficient to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus.

According to these aw values, it can be deduced that they are products unsuitable for the growth of the
bacteria but yes for fungi and yeasts; for this reason, additives are added during its preparation.
(Sorbates and benzoates) that control and inhibit these two groups of microorganisms.

In addition to food, it is known that many commercial products and preparations of pigments and
Vitamins reach their greatest stability when their water activity is adjusted within the range of
intermediate humidity.

The microbiological stability of foods with reduced water content is not a function of their content.
not total water but the proportion of water that is available for the metabolic activities of the
organisms. The best measure of available moisture is water activity, atw(for example the relationship
between the vapor pressure of the solution or the food (p) and the vapor pressure of pure water (p0to the same
temperature, p/p0. The awoptimal for the growth of most microorganisms is in the
range 0.99-0.98. When a microorganism is placed in a concentrated aqueous solution of a solute of aw
reduced, water is extracted from the cytoplasm of the cell and turgor pressure is lost. Homeostasis (or
internal balance) is disturbed and the organism does not multiply but remains in a state of delay until it
restore the balance. The microorganism reacts to recover the lost water by accumulating in the
cytoplasm the so-called 'compatible solutes' until the internal osmolality is slightly higher than that of
the solution and thus the water re-enters the cell. The turgor pressure is restored and the microorganism
continues to grow. The "compatible solutes" do not interfere with the normal activities of the cells and
they can be synthesized within it or transported from the medium. In either case, the
the process consumes energy and therefore the energy available for growth decreases. If the reduction
in the aw it is very extreme, the microbial cell is unable to repair homeostasis and can no longer proliferate and
it can even die. The osmoregulatory capacity, and consequently the limits of awthat allow the
growth varies among microorganisms. In general, common spoilage bacteria are inhibited at
awapproximately 0.97; pathogenic clostridia to aw 0.94, and the majority of the species Bacillus aw
0.93. Staphylococcus aureus is the pathogen with the greatest tolerance to thewand can grow in aerobic conditions at
awof 0.86. Many fungi and yeasts are capable of proliferating atwbelow 0.86; some yeasts
osmophilic and xerophilic fungi can grow slowly atwslightly greater than 0.60. Consequently,
to preserve a food using as a stress factor only the reduction of aw, your aw should be decreased
a 0.60. Fully dehydrated foods, for example, have values of awapproximately equal to
0.30 to control not only microbial growth but also other spoilage reactions.

Intermediate moisture foods

Intermediate moisture foods have a long shelf life and do not require rehydration or
cooling to preserve themselves, which makes them suitable for areas and countries where refrigeration is not
It exists or it is very expensive. There is no precise definition of them, but they are considered products with aa.
(water activity) from 0.65 to 0.86 and from 25% to 50% water. The value of 0.86 is taken as a limit, since it is
sufficient to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, although it is insufficient to prevent
fungi and yeasts, which is why sorbates and benzoates are added in their production.

These products are made by removing water from the food or by adding highly hydratable solutes that
they retain water and consequently reduce the aa. In the first case, the concentration by evaporation is very
common and is used in milk, which goes from aa=0.97 to 0.80–0.82, resulting in evaporated milk
with a longer shelf life; in the same way, jams, sweets, jellies, nectars, and others are made.
The reduction of water content causes the concentration of other substances, such as the acids that lower.
the pH and also contribute to the microbial stability of the food.

The influence of solutes on the reduction of water activity in a food is very complex; the
The equation to determine water activity refers to ideal, very simple systems, of which do not
There are many. Just as an example of the application of this formula, consider one liter of pure water, by
whatMs= 0 and therefore aa= 1.0, if two moles of sucrose (684g, pm=342) are added, the aa= 0.96, since
Ma=55.5 (1000/18). If it were starch (pm> one million), a larger amount would be required to achieve the same.
value, which indicates the great influence of low molecular weight solutes. The deviations from this
The equation in a food is easily verified, and it is more noticeable the more complex it is.

Low molecular weight solutes are selected based on their solubility, efficiency, taste,
compatibility, pH, cost, regulations, etc. For example, sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose,
maltose and lactose), salts (sodium and potassium chlorides and various phosphates), polyalcohols (sorbitol, glycerin,
mannitol, and propylene glycol), acids (phosphoric, lactic, citric, ascorbic, and fumaric), protein hydrolysates,
etc. It is clear that the concentration required for each of them depends on many factors, such as the
flavor. For example, to reduce the water activity of a meat product with just the addition of NaCl, it would be necessary to
such a concentration of salt that would make the product impossible to eat. The combination of these substances,
together with preservatives and other agents, it causes the stability of intermediate moisture foods.
As a chemical potential, the difference in amino acids that exists between the outside and the food, or even between its
own ingredients cause the migration of water. The material of the container is fundamental, since if it is
permeable and the food is stored in an atmosphere of HR greater than that of equilibrium, there will be a migration
towards the interior (hygroscopicity), and the aa will increase; on the contrary, if the external humidity is lower,
it will dehydrate. Even when the packaging material is totally waterproof, the activity of water can
Increase with temperature (graph). In any case, the food will have a different aa than
favorecerá el crecimiento de microorganismos o de reacciones indeseables.

On the other hand, this transfer of water also occurs internally between the constituents of a food,
as happens in cereal bars with some medium moisture components. The exterior is
a dry cookie with 0.3 of aa (low chemical potential), while the fruit filling is 0.7 (high
chemical potential), or more. This differential causes the migration of water and the hydration of the cookie, which
leads to a reduction in its crunchiness and facilitates the oxidation of its fats. By reducing the content of
the moisture of the filling, its sugar crystallizes and releases more water, which in turn increases the aa and accelerates its
migration.
It is possible for a food to have two components, one with 15% and the other with 25% humidity, and the
the transfer should be made from the lesser to the greater due to their different aa, and not based on their water content.

In addition to food, many commercial products and preparations of pigments and vitamins
they reach their greatest stability when the water activity is adjusted within the humidity range
intermediate.

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