tuorepainon

Tuorepaino, or fresh weight, is the mass of a biological sample measured immediately after harvest or collection, before any processing such as drying, freezing, or cooking. It is a standard metric in agronomy, animal science, and food science because it reflects the material in its natural moisture state and is directly related to yield and intake.

Measurement and standardization: Fresh weight is obtained with a calibrated scale as soon as possible after collection. In plant samples, surface moisture is often blotted gently to remove excess water, though some protocols weigh without blotting to preserve natural moisture. In livestock, live weight can be affected by gut contents and recent feeding; protocols may require fasting or weighing at a defined time relative to feeding to improve comparability. Sample size and location should be standardized.

Relation to other measures: Fresh weight is contrasted with dry weight, which is the mass after removing water through drying. The dry matter content (DM%) is calculated as dry weight divided by fresh weight. In meat production, additional metrics such as hot carcass weight and dressing percentage relate live weight to processed carcass weight.

Applications and interpretation: Fresh weight is used to estimate yields (for example, crops per area), evaluate growth and feed efficiency, and interpret composition data that are moisture-sensitive. Because water content varies with species, growing conditions, and handling, reporting the exact state of the weight is essential for meaningful comparisons.