15 APPENDIX A AquaLab
15 Appendix A
15.1 Preparing Salt Solution
If you choose to mix a saturated salt solution for use as a verification
standard, we recommend that you use the approved AOAC method.
Steps 1 through 4 detail the AOAC method.
1. Select a reagent-grade salt and place it in a test container to
a depth of about 4 cm for more soluble salts (lower a
w
), to a
depth of about 1.5 cm for less soluble salts (high a
w
), and to
an intermediate depth for intermediate salts.
2. Add distilled water in increments of about 2mL, stirring con-
stantly.
3. Add water until the salt can absorb no more water, evidenced
by the presence of free liquid. Keep the amount of free liquid
to the minimum needed to keep the solution saturated with
water. If you plan on using this solution over a long term pe-
riod, seal the solution well to prevent losses from evaporation.
Table 4 shows saturated salt solutions and their respective wa-
ter activities at various temperatures. Please note that these
values are based on averaged published data, and the stan-
dard errors shown reflect Greenspan’s standard error for each
salt solution, not the AquaLab accuracy in measuring the salt.
AquaLab measures all samples with an accuracy of ±0.003 a
w
.
100
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