Target moisture content varies widely by commodity, by format and by intended use, so a single figure across dried fruit would be wrong for almost every line. What is consistent is how to arrive at the right number and how to write it down.
- **Set it per commodity and per format.** A soft-eating infused piece, a conventional air-dried piece and a freeze-dried piece of the same fruit have very different targets.
- **Name the analytical method.** Different methods give different answers on the same sample, so a moisture specification without a method is not enforceable. Oven methods, distillation methods and instrumental methods are not interchangeable.
- **Pair it with water activity.** Moisture content alone does not predict microbial stability, because it counts bound water that organisms cannot use. Water activity is the number that predicts spoilage, and moisture content is the number that predicts weight and texture.
- **Express it as a range, not a maximum only.** An over-dried product is a texture and yield problem even when it is microbiologically safer.
The practical route to a target is to measure the product you actually intend to buy across at least three lots, look at where the distribution sits, and set the specification around the observed range with a margin. Record the method, the lots and the results as an annex.