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44 Moisture Methods​

44-01.01 Calculation of Percent Moisture

This method determines moisture content in flour, grain, and various food and feed products by using a simple, acceptable formula. The formula is often used in connection with tables in Methods 82-21.01, 82-22.01, and 82-23.01. In this method, an oven is often used. Alternatively, electrical devices, referred to as moisture meters or moisture testers, are employed. Manufacturers of these instruments will furnish conversion tables for their use, but instruments should be calibrated under conditions of actual use in comparison with oven methods.

44-11.01 Moisture—Dielectric Meter Method

This method determines moisture content in cereals, legume grains, and a number of other commodities for which conversion tables are available. The method closely agrees with oven methods established for the same commodities under official U.S. Standards.

44-15.02 Moisture—Air-Oven Methods

These methods determine moisture content as loss in weight of a sample when heated under specified conditions. The results are in close agreement with those obtained by Method 44-40.01 (vacuum-oven). The methods are applicable to flour, semolina, bread, all kinds of grains and cereal products, and food products (except those that are sugar coated). These methods are not recommended for feeds and feedstuffs when fat determination is to be made on dried samples.

44-16.01 Moisture—Air-Oven (Aluminum-Plate) Method

This method determines moisture content in flour and semolina. It is not applicable to ground wheat.

44-17.01 Moisture—Air-Oven Method (Pulses)

This procedure is a routine reference method for the determination of moisture content of pulses. The method determines moisture content as the loss in weight of a sample when heated under specified conditions. The procedure is applicable to chickpeas, lentils, peas, and all classes of beans with the exception of soybean.

44-19.01 Moisture—Air-Oven Method, Drying at 135°

This method is primarily used to determine moisture content in feed. It is not recommended when fat determination is to be made on same sample. The method is not applicable for ensiled materials or for feeds containing urea or high sugar contents.

44-20.01 Moisture—ASBC Air-Oven Method

This method is applicable to finished, kilned malt with moisture content sufficiently low to permit grinding in a mill. Recommended temperature is high enough to drive off most water content but low enough to minimize loss of other volatile compounds. The method also describes a standardization procedure for a forced-air oven.

44-30.01 Moisture and Volatile Matter in Fats and Shortenings

To determine the amount of low molecular weight volatile material in most fats and oils. The method is not applicable to naphtha extraction greases that contain solvents of fairly high boiling point that are driven off with difficulty. If the presence of low molecular weight fatty acids is suspected, it may be necessary to use other tests.

44-31.01 Moisture and Volatile Matter in Soy Flours

This method determines moisture and any materials that are volatile under conditions of test. It is applicable to high-fat, low-fat, and defatted soy flours

44-40.01 Moisture—Modified Vacuum-Oven Method

This method determines moisture content in flour, semolina, ground grains, feedstuffs, and their adjuncts. It is also applicable to flour mixes containing NaHCO(3) and yeast foods. To apply the method to bread, prepare the sample according to Method 62-05.01.

44-51.01 Moisture—By Distillation with Toluene, for Fats and Shortenings

To determine the moisture content of fats and oils by moisture distillation. This method is recommended for determination of moisture only and not for moisture and volatile matter. It is not applicable to samples containing water-miscible volatile substances or to samples containing added monoglycerides.

44-60.01 Moisture—Drying on Quartz Sand

This method determines moisture content in massecuites, molasses, and other liquid and semiliquid products.