Water activity and the total amount of water (% moisture) a food contains are different. The Aw of a food indicates the amount or fraction of the total amount of water available for some chemical or biochemical reactions. In pure water, both values are the same, but in food, Aw is always less than the total amount of water.Under a set of conditions, the relationship between the moisture content and the Aw of a food can be determined from the sorption isotherm. However, instead of a single line, the sorption isotherm forms a loop (hysteresis loop), depending on whether it is determined during removal of water from (desorption) or during addition of water to (adsorption) a food (see Figure 6.1). At the same moisture level, the Aw value obtained by desorption is lower than that obtained by adsorption. In controlling microbial growth by reducing Aw, this is quite important.