Performance Evaluation of the Karl Fischer Method for Determining Water Content in Food Products
Abstract
Water content is a crucial parameter in determining the quality of food products, as it influences physicochemical properties, microbial growth, and shelf life. Therefore, reliable methods for water content determination are essential. This study evaluated the performance of the Karl Fischer method through several parameters: linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), precision, accuracy, and measurement uncertainty. The method showed strong linearity with the regression equation y = 0.9719x + 0.5062 and a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9998 across 1.0–10.0% water concentration. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.10% and 0.13%, respectively. Precision (%RSD) at 5, 60, and 100% water concentrations yielded values of 0.88, 0.26, and 0.09%. Accuracy (% trueness) ranged from 92% to 105%, while the mean relative uncertainty was 6%. These results demonstrate that the Karl Fischer method offers acceptable performance and is suitable for accurate water content determination in food products.
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