Ensure Juice and Beverage Quality and Consistency with Inline Process Refractometers

The inline Brix analysis of juice and beverages offers automated, exacting process control and quality monitoring by continuously measuring and monitoring the quality and consistency of each component with high precision and controls the dosage during the blending of the products. 

Inline refractometers also assure that the correct product is in process, particularly when blending and filling a variety of juices, syrups, nectars, soft drinks, and other beverages on the same line.

Syrups, juice concentrates, and other ingredients are frequently blended with water according to specific formulas, then held in stacking tanks, and lastly poured into product-specific bottles or containers in the beverage industry. 

The entire product batch may be defective if a primary component, such as a juice concentrate, does not precisely meet the specifications or if the blending process itself is incorrect due to incorrect valve switching.  It's also possible that the faulty product goes to packaging due to an improper phase transition. If this is discovered only during final quality control, the entire production batch could be at risk. 

With an inline refractometer, each process stage gets precisely managed by measuring the dissolved sugar in the liquid. In comparison, manual Brix control sampling with a hand refractometer is labor-intensive and open to operator error. Furthermore, any mistake can only be detected after the fact, affecting the production quantity between two samples or a complete filling batch, and then discarded. The inline process refractometer is integrated directly into the process with high accuracy and continuously, allowing the definition and differentiation of each component or product.

Contact Electron Machine Company at +1 352-669-3101 or visit https://electronmachine.com if you have any question regarding the usage of refractometry in food and beverage production.

Demonstration of Measuring °Brix in Tomato-based Food Products with an Inline Process Refractometer

Are you a producer of tomato-based food products that wants better quality control while reducing cost? Stay tuned to see how the inline process refractometer can help you out.

Welcome to Electron Machine Corporation, manufacturer of the world's most rugged refractometer, found in various industries across the globe.  

Typically installed in a pipeline, the MPR E-Scan is set up here as a demonstration equipment piece. In this demo, a static cup measures a variety of popular tomato-based food products. In production, the refractometer is commonly installed right inline with the process piping of the tomato-based product being run. 

Hopefully, you'll enjoy this demonstration into what the refractometer can do and how it measures the sugar content of tomato-based product. Stay tuned for the next series of videos. We'll highlight another product for the refractometer to measure. 

Electron Machine Corporation
https://electronmachine.com​​
+1 352-669-3101

An Inline Refractive Index Analyzer for Measuring Sugar Content in Food and Beverages

The Electron Machine MPR E-Scan™ provides inline refractive index measurement of cane sugar, HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup), or beet sugar concentration in food products. The analyzer continuously reads the °Brix value of fruit juices, soft drinks, fruit juice, syrups, jams, jellies, honey, and nectars.

The MPR E-Scan™ is a refractive index °Brix  monitor that provides highly accurate inline sugar concentration measurements. The inline installation (with local or remote electronics) offers lower-cost operation and monitoring and control.

The MPR E-Scan™ includes a high-resolution color display, and a 4-20mA output is standard. HART® protocol, RS-232, and RS-422 outputs are available, providing you a means for data acquisition as well as visualization of all data, alarms, trends, and allows real-time product adjustments. The entire package is NEMA 4X rated and designed and manufactured with the best materials for each application to provide years of trouble-free service with minimal maintenance.

Electron Machine Corporation
https://electronmachine.com
+1 352-669-3101

°Brix Measurement with Inline Refractometers

Refractometers are used to measure Brix in various juices.

A wide variety of food and beverage products rely on sweetness as a standard of consistency and quality. The unit of measurement to determine the concentration of sugar in food and beverage is °Brix (degrees Brix). Commercial processors of juices, wine, beer, soft drinks, tomato products, dairy, maple syrup, honey, jams and jellies implement the use of some form of refractometry to determine °Brix in their products.

°Brix (symbol °Bx) is the percentage of sugar dissolved in the subject product. One degree Brix equals 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution. °Bx is a degree scale from 1-100. A solution that is 15°Bx is 15 percent sucrose by weight. Measuring °Bx is based on the index of refraction or the density of the process media at specific reference temperatures of 20°C.

Inline industrial refractometer with control electronics.

One type of instrument used to measure °Bx is called a refractometer. Smaller food and beverage producers use hand-held refractometers to determine °Brix in product batches. Large scale producers, with continuous processing or high volume batches, use highly accurate, rugged, inline industrial refractometers which are installed on the process piping and become part of their overall control scheme.

All refractometers use the refractive index (RI) of the food/beverage concentration as the measurement method to determine °Bx.  The refractive index (or index of refraction) of a material is a dimensionless number that describes how fast light propagates through the material, or in other words, how much the path of light is bent, or refracted, when entering a material.

Refractometers often require some type of correction or linearization based upon the substance they are measuring. To account for other undissolved solids, organic acids or ethanol in the process media, specialized curves must be used. Inline process refractometers include these custom curves in the microprocessor programming, and can be selected through the refractometers user interface for varying product runs.

For more information about the measurement and control of °Brix using inline refractometers, contact Electron Machine Corporation.

352-669-3101

https://electronmachine.com

The Inline Refractometer's Role in Juice Concentration

Fruit juice concentrate provides producers easier transport of product and longer storage life. Fruit juice concentrate production starts with a dilute feed stock juice and processes it into a uniform and consistent concentrated form through the removal of water. Water is removed through an evaporative process that involves specialized equipment designed uniquely for the concentration process. Almost every commercially harvested fruit can be juiced and concentrated.

Fruit juice extraction is unique to the shape, size, and nature of the fruit, but once the juice is extracted it is purified and stored in primary holding tanks prior to being delivered to an evaporator. Upon entering the evaporator, the juice concentration varies depending on a number of natural factors. The goal of the concentration process is to remove this variability and output a uniform and consistent juice concentrate.  Throughout the fruit juice concentration process, solid components of the original juice remain and can be quantified as a percent of juice volume.

Inline process refractometer.

Refractometers are instruments that measure the refractive index, which very simply put, indicates how much a light beam is "bent" as the light passes through the fruit juice.  The light bending is proportional to the solids concentrate. Sugars are the major soluble solids in fruit juice, along with other soluble materials including organic and amino acids, soluble pectins, etc.

In larger scale juice production facilities, soluble solids concentration (SSC%, degrees Brix) are determined by using in-line process refractometers at strategic points in the process to measure solids concentration, as well as to evaluate equipment performance and product quality. Output signals from the refractometers serve as inputs to the command and control system for the evaporators, allowing feed rate to closely match evaporation rate and make most efficient use of the energy consuming equipment.

For more information about inline process refractometers role in fruit and vegetable juice production, contact Electron Machine Corporation by calling 352-669-3101 of visit their web site at https://electronmachine.com.

Inline Process Refractometers for Fruit Juice Concentrate Production

Just about every fruit harvested is processed to a concentrate. Fruit juice concentrate provides for easier transportation and longer storage life for both producers and consumers. Production technology for the juice concentration has become quite advanced, resulting in improved quality and consistency. Sweetness, color and solid components from the feedstock fruit juice carefully monitored and controlled.

Fruit juice concentrate production starts with dilute juice feedstock, the application of carefully controlled heat to evaporate off water, ultimately resulting in a uniform and consistent concentrated juice. The fruit juice stock is extracted from various fruits in a number of ways that are specifically adapted for the shape, size, and nature of the fruit. It is then purified and stored in primary holding tanks. Juice concentration will vary at this initial stage due to a number of natural factors and needs to be processed to desired quality standards.

One objective of the concentration process is to remove excess water in a consistent and uniform manner. Excess water removal is done through the use of specialized multi-stage evaporators that extract water without damaging the juice by applying improper amounts of heat. A closed-loop control system monitors a variety of process variables such as temperature, flow, and pressure from multiple process sensors. The readings from these sensors drive proportional outputs that modulate final control elements such as control valves.

Process refractometers are sensors used at strategic points to measure dissolved solids (sugar) concentration.  By monitoring and controlling percent solids and Brix, plant operators gain tighter control of product quality and more efficient use of equipment (possible energy savings).

For more information on the application of process refractometers in juice and juice concentrate, contact Electron Machine Corporation by visiting https://electronmachine.com or calling 352-669-3101.

Process Refractometers for Food and Pharmaceutical Processing

Process refractometers provide the analysis to quickly, reliably, and very accurately identify a sample and determine it's concentration and purity levels. They measure the refractive index and temperature of flowing liquids, and apply mathematical functions to determine the concentration of dissolved solids.

Process refractometers are particularly useful in the food and pharmaceutical industries where they are used to optimize production processes, control quality, and ensure consistency and purity.

In commercial food applications such as juice production or tomato processing, refractometers are used to measure degrees Brix. The Brix scale relates refractive index to sugar concentration, and is a key way to maintain consistency. For example, process refractometers are used for the concentration process of fruit juices. The concentration process is normally achieved by removing water through evaporation, and by measuring Brix, the evaporation process can be controlled and related to the desired juice concentration.

In the pharmaceutical industry, process refractometers are used to monitor and control concentration levels during supersaturation, a critical process in crystallization.  Crystallization is key to the purification of solids in pharmaceutical production.  A high degree of measurement accuracy and reliability provided by the process refractometer ensures precise monitoring and control and a pure product.

There are many other industrial applications for process refractometers, almost all sharing the need for accurate solids content measurement.

For more information about process refractometers, contact Electron Machine. Visit them at https://electronmachine.com or call 352-669-3101.

Measuring Brix

Degrees Brix is the unit used to determine
sugar content in a solution.

Degrees Brix is a measurement unit to determine sugar content, typically in the food and beverage industry using a refractometer. Brix measurements allow precise quality control for sugar levels in different beverages, with one degree Brix equating to 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution. While sucrose is the primary element measured by the Brix reading, it is important to understand how other ingredients affect the Brix reading. The Brix reading can relatively calculate the amount of sweetener in a certain product in addition to exactly calculating the previously mentioned sucrose level.

Sucrose and other sweeteners allow for members of the food and beverage industry to create unique recipes for their products. However, a sucrose solution dissolved in water will return different Brix values than a soda because other elements in the process impact the Brix reading. To account for these shifting variables, a Brix value can be measured through either density or refractive index. Specific control parameters need to be established prior to measuring these solutions with refractometers, thus causing the term “Refractive Brix” to be used when comparing samples against results obtained via different calculation methods. Along with the numerical sugar concentration of a particular product, a product’s sugar concentration correlates to the product’s sweetness, giving controllers the ability to ensure repeatability in their process.

Process refractometers monitor and control
the quality of products containing sugar by
measuring Brix. 

Alongside Brix’s main functionality as an indicator of sucrose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become popular in the food and beverage industry as a replacement for sucrose. Recently, the amount of HFCS in a certain product has also been expressed as Brix, allowing for the Brix degree measurement to expand past its original purpose. Digital refractometers have become increasingly popular in measuring Brix degrees and also the percentage of HFCS in a certain product. These dual measurement possibilities allow operators to compare the content of a certain substance across multiple variables of sweetness. Additionally, the availability of these measurements in a certain process via the same measurement device allows for simplification of the measurement process. Hydrometers are another method used to measure Brix, although, as opposed to refractometers, variations in operator control may cause the results of a hydrometer test to be different. Both Brix and HFCS allow for food and beverage controllers to maintain cost and quality control, both in determining how much sucrose should be used in the process and to ensure each individual product meets quality standards.

Electron Machine Corporation
https://electronmachine.com
352-669-3101

Measuring Total Soluble Solids with Refractometers

Inline, process refractometer for beverage production.

Just as weight is expressed in pounds, the level of soluble solids in a solution is measured in degrees Brix (symbol °Bx).  The Brix scale is based on a solution of pure sucrose diluted with water. Adolf Brix first developed the Brix scale in the 1800s. For example, a 100 gram solution with a Brix 50 reading contains 50 grams of sugar (and other dissolved solids) and 50 grams of water.

Fruit juices, wine, nectars, and other beverages all contain soluble solids. Total Soluble Solids (TSS) refers to the total amount of soluble constituents of the juice, wine or other beverage. These are mainly sugars, with smaller amounts of amino acids, pectin, and organic acids. For example, approximately 85% of the total soluble solids of citrus fruit are sugars. Because sugar is the most abundant soluble solid, the Brix scale is used by the beverage industry in determining the sucrose equivalent of soluble solids in their products. The term "Brix" or "degrees Brix" is used interchangeably with % sucrose or % soluble solids by weight.

Refractometers are instruments that determine soluble solid concentration by evaluating the solution's refractive index. Changes in direction of a light beam passing through the solution correlate to the amount of dissolved solids in the solution. Basically, the higher the level of soluble solids in the solution, the greater the bending of the light beam. In large scale beverage plants, inline process refractometers are used to control quality and consistency by continuous monitoring of the soluble solid concentration.

For more information about measuring TSS and/or Brix in a commercial beverage production facility, contact Electron Machine by visiting https://www.electronmachine.com or calling 352-669-3101.

Refractometers for Food and Beverage Processing

Refractometers commonly used to detect sugar levels and properties of jams juices, beverages, dairy products and much more.

Electron Machine Corporation developed the first in-line process refractometer more than 50 years ago when orange juice was first concentrated. Since that time, their refractometers have been successfully applied on many more applications including the production of sucrose, fructose, dextrose, soft drinks, fruit juices, dairy, apple sauce, jams, jellies, beer, wine, coffee, tea, vegetable oils, tomato paste, ice cream and honey.

With an extremely durable Sapphire prism as its foundation, the Electron Machine MPR E-Scan combines accurate measurements with ruggedized components in the sensing head combining for years of of dependable and accurate service in harsh food production environments.

Inline Refractometers Used in Commercial Food and Beverage Production

Refractometers assist in consistent quality
in commercial food and beverage processing.

All commercial food brands must assure a level of quality their users have grown to expect. A change in their product's quality can trigger a change in the customer's buying habits. The ability to provide consistent quality and taste is key to happy customers and continued sales.

For producers of many commercial food products, such as wine, fruit juice, jams, and carbonated beverages, a critical way to control quality is by measuring "Brix".

Brix is a unit of measurement used to to establish the concentration of sucrose and other sugars (as well as other dissolved solids) in aqueous solutions. When evaluating sweetness, one degree Brix (symbol °Bx) is defined as 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution, and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by mass.

Inline refractometers provide commercial food,  juice and wine producers critical information about the make-up of their product. Many commercial food processing plants use refractometers to blend their products to consistent Brix level, thus assuring consistency. Because the dissolution of sucrose and other sugars in a solution changes the solution’s refractive index, measuring this change can be used reliably to measure consistency and quality. A refractometer works by shining an LED light source from a range of angles, through a product sample, onto a prism surface. By measuring the difference in the reflection and refraction of the light source, a critical angle can be determined and the refractive index can be accurately calculated.  This measurement and calculation can be done accurately, repeatably, and with speed, so inline refractometers have proven themselves reliable instruments for the measurement of Brix in all food processing applications.

Typical applications for the measurement of sucrose, fructose, and dextrose by an inline refractometer:

• Soft drinks, fruit juices, dairy.
• Apple sauces, jams and jellies.
• Beer wine, coffee, and tea.
• Vegetable oils.
• Tomato pastes and sauces.
• Honey.

For any questions about the use of refractometry in food and beverage processing, contact Electron Machine Company at 352-669-3101 or visit http://www.electronmachine.com.

Benchtop Refractometer Rugged Enough For Field Use

DSA E-Scan
Dissolved Solids Analyzer

Refractometry is a widely employed analytical technique used to indirectly measure dissolved solids content of subject liquids. The process employs a refractometer, a device or instrument, to determine the refractive index for a test sample. The measurement is employed throughout science and industry to assess a material's composition or purity.

The refractive index of a substance is dependent, in part, upon temperature and the wavelength of light used in the measurement. Common applications include Brix testing for sucrose level, along with others in the beverage, pulp and paper, chemical, flavor, and fragrance industries. Refractometry is used as a quality control measurement, to assure uniformity among product batches.

Manual refractometers have been available for many years and require human observation and interpretation of a scale reading to obtain a refractive index. Automatic, as well as in-line units are available today that provide uniform accuracy and faster sample processing.

The DSA E-Scan, manufactured by Electron Machine, is an automatic, bench-top critical angle refractometer with a digital readout and temperature-controlled sample chamber. Its compact size and rugged design permit operation in the field and in areas with limited space. The unit provides fast and accurate refractive index measurements of sample liquids.

Dissolved Solids Analyzer Benchtop Refractometer from Electron Machine Corporation