The key difference between free water and bound water is that free water is the water that can easily be extracted from food by squeezing or cutting, or pressing, whereas bound water is the water that cannot easily be extracted from those methods.
Water can be found abundantly in all living things and in most of the food products we consume. Water is also an important and essential component of various materials, including plant cells and soil. Generally, if we cannot get water from these sources without changing the structure or composition of the source, we call it bound water. But if we have easily reachable water, then it is called free water.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Free Water
3. What is Bound Water
4. Free Water vs Bound Water in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Free Water vs Bound Water
What is Free Water?
Free water is water that can be easily obtained from foods via squeezing, cutting, or pressing. Therefore, this is the type of water that is easily reachable. We can get free water from sources usually without changing the structure or composition of the source or by partially changing the structure or composition.
Free water can act as a solvent for salts and sugars, and it can freeze at moderate temperatures. Free water exhibits vapor pressure, unlike bound water, and this type of water has a comparatively low density. Free water typically acts as liquid water. Examples include juice in citrus fruits, water in watermelon, etc.
What is Bound Water?
Bound water is water that cannot be easily obtained from foods products via simple methods. Typically, we cannot get this type of water from these sources without changing the structure or composition of the source. A common example of this type of water is water present in cacti or pine tree needles. We cannot get this water by squeezing them or pressing them out. This is the reason why these plants survive in extreme weather such as desert temperatures, and the vegetation remains alive even upon dehydration since there is bound water.
Food often contains water bound or held in a way that it cannot be easily removed. Moreover, this type of water does not act like liquid water. Bound water is not free to act as a solvent for different salts and sugars. In addition, bound water can be frozen only at a very low temperature that lies below the freezing point of water. In addition, this type of water exhibits no vapor pressure, and its density is usually greater than that of free water.
What is the Difference Between Free Water and Bound Water?
The key difference between free water and bound water is that free water is the water that can easily be extracted from foods by squeezing or cutting, or pressing, whereas bound water is the water that cannot easily be extracted from those methods. Lemon juice and water in melons are examples of free water, whereas water in cacti plants is an example of bound water.
The below infographic presents the differences between free water and bound water in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Free Water vs Bound Water
Water can be found abundantly in all living things and in most of the food products we consume. There are two types of water that can be found in its sources as free water and bound water. The key difference between free water and bound water is that free water is the water that can easily be extracted from foods through squeezing, cutting, or pressing, whereas bound water is the water that cannot easily be extracted from those methods.
Reference:
1. “Free and Bound Water.” Food Science Avenue.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Lemon-loaf-honey-honey-lemon” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Desert-catus-cacti-dirt-road” (CC0) via Pixabay