Dear all,
I'd like to design (if i succeed) a new instrument for both the analysis of sugar and acidity of food products which is quite simple version of all these complicated laboratory instruments and similar to the refractometer we're using in the laboratory. However it seems quite hard, even impossible to do all of them once together and to carry this stuff in your bag. However, I'll try and see what I can do and at least I'd say "I tried". Is there anyone who can guide me through the designing process. Another question is titrimeter is the most advanced way we use to measure acidity in lab, but any ideas how i can have a more or less (even not %100 accurate measurement but just to give me an idea of the acidity) measure the acidity of foods? If you say litmus paper, do you think it works? Thank you.
Asst.Prof.Muthanna H. Hussain excuse me but I don't understand. Detail please?
I have my doubts that you can design a single instrument to determine both sugar concentration and acidity in a sample at one and the same time. However, if the acid tends to be of one type, you can always use a pH meter to indicate acidity for that particular acid (and others of course but it depends on concentration). All you need is a look up table that compares pH against concentration for that particular acid. I say this although pH measurements are not peculiar to any one acid species.
As for the sugar - it depends on the refractive index or light attenuation at a particular wavelength, you would need to test a typical sample and see what the optical properties are - it may well be that the sugar has a definite effect on either attenuation over the white light rang eof wavelengths of might well be somewhere in the infra red or untra-violet part of the spectrum. Of course, in an acidic/sugar combination the spectral effect is likely to vary as the respective concentrations change. You would need to test a range of different concentrations (sugar to acid) to find what selects the sugar rather than the acid background..
Thank you very much for the answer. The main acid in my case is malic acid, so not sure if I can use pH meter with the same efficiency. @Barry Charles Blake-Coleman
Malic Acid has very definite and characteristic absorbance in the infra red - ATR IR 1675 cm-1, FTIR 1675 cm -1, FTIR 1750 - 1640 cm-1. Your organic sugars are also,likely to have a characteristic absorbance. Check Kaye and Laby.
Thank you very much. Even these terms sound quite unfamiliar with me, I'm going to check soon and let you know. And thanks for following, it's an honor.
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