Convert Brix to Density. Brix Refractometer

Hello. In today's review, I will talk about the RSG-100ATC refractometer with a scale of 0-32% Brix. A refractometer measures the refractive index of a liquid. In this case, the Brix scale is used - a measure of the mass ratio of sucrose dissolved in water to liquid. For example, a solution at 25 °Bx - 25% (w/w) means 25 grams of sucrose in 100 grams of liquid. Or, to put it differently, 100 grams of solution contains 25 grams of sucrose and 75 grams of water. The Brix scale is used in Food Industry for measuring the average amount of sugar in fruits, vegetables, juices, wine, soft drinks, in the sugar industry, etc. From the review you will find out why this is necessary, and at the end of the review you will find testing of granulated sugar from four manufacturers. As it turns out, not all sugar is the same...

The refractometer reached me in two weeks by China post. It comes in this handy plastic storage box:

The kit includes instructions for English language:

Prism cleaning cloth, calibration screwdriver and sampling pipette:

And, before I go directly to the refractometer - its brief characteristics from the shop page:

Test Range: Brix 0 - 32%
Min. Div.: Brix 0.2%
Accuracy: Brix ± 0.20%
Automatic Temperature Compensation System (ATC)
Traditional version: Using screw driver for calibration
Sturdy and light weighted Aluminum body
Item length: approx. 175mm

The refractometer is made of aluminum alloy. Corrugated rubber is used for comfortable holding.

The refractometer is equipped with an ATC system. This is an automatic temperature compensation that allows you to use solutions with a temperature of 10 to 30 degrees. But the most accurate measurement is provided at a solution temperature of 20 degrees:

In the photo you see a calibration screw covered with a rubber cap. For calibration, you need to drop distilled water on the lens and set the scale to zero with a screw.

Prism covered with glass:

Removing the glass:

And we drip one or two drops of the solution onto the prism:

Then we close the prism with glass. A lot of solution is not required, the most important thing is that the solution is evenly distributed over the prism and there are no air bubbles.

The principle of operation of a refractometer is based on the property of light, when passing from a denser optical medium to a less dense one, to be completely reflected from the boundary of the media.

Refraction is familiar to many. Probably everyone has seen the effect of refraction in water, for example, spoons in a glass or:

In the case of a refractometer, a drop of liquid is applied to glass of known optical density and the refractive index is read from the angle of refraction. The density of the solution varies depending on the amount of sugar in it. To read the readings, it is enough to bring the eyepiece of the refractometer to the eye and read the reading on the applied scale. In this case, by rotating the eyepiece, you can adjust the sharpness to your vision. Accordingly, one refractometer can measure various quantities. There are special tables for converting various values. But it is still easier and more convenient to use different refractometers for different values. This is more practical and faster, besides, a larger scale may not fit in a particular refractometer.

For example, in the photo above is a refractometer with a Brix scale, below is a refractometer with a larger scale of alcohol content:

Accordingly, the length of the alcohol refractometer is longer.

Before use, as I wrote above, you need to drop distilled water on the prism and check, and if necessary, calibrate:

In this case, no calibration was required.

A refractometer is useful for home winemakers, brewers, moonshiners. You can see if the yeast has developed all the sugar in the mash and if you need to add top dressing. In the case of fruit brews, a refractometer will let you know if you need to add sugar and its amount for the yeast to work properly.

Here is the result for sugar mash. Hydromodule: 1 kilogram of sugar per 4 liters of water.

Initially - 22 Brix:

Unfortunately, not all the pictures turned out to have a clear border, everything can be seen sharply with the eye.

At the end of fermentation - 6.5 Brix:

For Android, there is a BrixCalc calculator that allows you to determine the approximate alcohol content in braga based on these indications:

13.9 degrees is the normal alcohol content. For mash, 12-15 degrees is considered the norm, which can be obtained naturally, without strengthening, for example, with “tails”. At these degrees, the yeast finish their work and die.

And at the end of the review, as I promised at the very beginning - a test of granulated sugar from four manufacturers. Probably, many have noticed, for example, when you drink tea, that one granulated sugar is sweeter than another. And it didn't seem to you. Unscrupulous manufacturers - do not sleep.

In the hypermarket of a large trading network "Sticky Iron" I purchased four packages of granulated sugar from different manufacturers. This trading network is very widespread and many can easily purchase this granulated sugar. However, it is also in other stores, but this will not make it better or worse.

Sugar in the amount of 5 grams was diluted with water up to 50 grams. All measurements were not made by eye, but everything was weighed:

As a result, ideally we should get 10 Brix.

So sample number one:

Belarus, city of Slutsk:

This is high quality granulated sugar.

Sample number two:

Belarus, urban settlement Gorodeya:

9.5 Brix:

The quality has dropped. And the taste of this sugar is not so sweet. And in Braga, the degree turns out to be smaller. I do not recommend to purchase.

Sample number three:

Saint Petersburg, Russia:

After making the solution, it became clear that everything was not so simple here ... White foam appeared on the surface of the water. Let's remember how sugar is made from sugar beets:

Beetroot, which enters the sugar factories, is washed and poured with a solution of lime. This is done in order to disinfect beaten, cracked, rotten beets. Lime solution or lime milk destroys microbes and bacteria. If the manufacturer does not comply with the technology, lime residues end up in the finished product. And when such sugar is added to tea, a white foam appears on the surface of the liquid.

And you can add foam:

The next step in the production of sugar is the grinding of beets, obtaining the so-called shavings, from which sugar is extracted when water is added. Sugar is extracted from beets using special chemical compounds. They are called surfactants (surfactants). Basically, it's a cleanser. It turns out that surfactants are found in soap and washing powders. It has been observed that if surfactants similar to the surfactants of washing powder are added to a mixture of grated beets and water, the yield of sugar at the end of the process increases. Why is this happening? Roughly speaking, the beet chips were washed off. Surfactants stick together all the dirt in the sugar syrup and turn it into a precipitate. After that, the surfactants are filtered out. If this is done in violation of technology, surfactants get into the finished product. And this is definitely a marriage.

And not only did white foam appear on the surface, a little undissolved substance remained at the bottom.

In addition, refined and unrefined granulated sugar can be partially replaced by other food products(flour, semolina) or non-food products (chalk, alabaster, gypsum, lime, sand). There are also known cases of detection by inspectors of the Gostorginspsktsiya (now Rospotrebnadzor) mixing crushed glass with sugar. To detect such falsification methods, the solubility of the product and the transparency of the sugar solution are checked. All of these adulteration agents are insoluble in water. After stirring and dissolving the sugar, they will precipitate.

As a result - the worst test result. Total 9 Brix:

Sample number four:

Russia, city of Kursk:

The result is 10 Brix:

High-quality and sweet granulated sugar, it will not cause harm to health, unlike the previous sample.

Thank you for your attention. All health.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review is published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

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Hello. In today's review, I will talk about the RSG-100ATC refractometer with a scale of 0-32% Brix. A refractometer measures the refractive index of a liquid. In this case, the Brix scale is used - a measure of the mass ratio of sucrose dissolved in water to liquid. For example, a solution at 25 °Bx - 25% (w/w) means 25 grams of sucrose in 100 grams of liquid. Or, to put it differently, 100 grams of solution contains 25 grams of sucrose and 75 grams of water. The Brix scale is used in the food industry to measure the average amount of sugar in fruits, vegetables, juices, wine, soft drinks, the sugar industry, etc. From the review you will find out why this is necessary, and at the end of the review you will find testing of granulated sugar from four manufacturers. As it turns out, not all sugar is the same...

The refractometer reached me in two weeks by China post. It comes in this handy plastic storage box:

The kit includes instructions in English:

Prism cleaning cloth, calibration screwdriver and sampling pipette:

And, before I go directly to the refractometer - its brief characteristics from the store page:

Specifications:
Test Range: Brix 0 - 32%
Min. Div. : Brix 0.2%
Accuracy: Brix ± 0.20%
Automatic Temperature Compensation System (ATC)
Traditional version: Using screw driver for calibration
Sturdy and light weighted Aluminum body
Item length: approx. 175mm

The refractometer is made of aluminum alloy. Corrugated rubber is used for comfortable holding.

In the photo you see a calibration screw covered with a rubber cap. For calibration, you need to drop distilled water on the lens and set the scale to zero with a screw.

Prism covered with glass:

Removing the glass:

And we drip one or two drops of the solution onto the prism:

Then we close the prism with glass. A lot of solution is not required, the most important thing is that the solution is evenly distributed over the prism and there are no air bubbles.

Refraction is familiar to many. Probably everyone has seen the effect of refraction in water, for example, spoons in a glass or:

For example, in the photo above is a refractometer with a Brix scale, below is a refractometer with a larger scale of alcohol content:

Accordingly, the length of the alcohol refractometer is longer.

Before use, as I wrote above, you need to drop distilled water on the prism and check, and if necessary, calibrate:

A refractometer is useful for determining the sweetness of aqueous solutions, the sweetness and ripeness of berries and fruits. This is what we will do now, as I promised at the very beginning - checking granulated sugar from four manufacturers. Probably, many have noticed, for example, when you drink tea, that one granulated sugar is sweeter than another. And it didn't seem to you. Unscrupulous manufacturers - do not sleep.

Sugar in the amount of 5 grams was diluted with water up to 50 grams. All measurements were not made by eye, but everything was weighed:

As a result, ideally we should get 10 Brix.

So sample number one:

Belarus, city of Slutsk:

10 Brix:

This is high quality granulated sugar.

Sample number two:

Belarus, urban settlement Gorodeya:

9.5 Brix:

The quality has dropped. And the taste of this sugar is not so sweet. I do not recommend to purchase.

Sample number three:

Saint Petersburg, Russia:

After making the solution, it became clear that everything was not so simple here ... White foam appeared on the surface of the water. Let's remember how sugar is made from sugar beets:

Beetroot, which enters the sugar factories, is washed and poured with a solution of lime. This is done in order to disinfect beaten, cracked, rotten beets. Lime solution or lime milk destroys microbes and bacteria. If the manufacturer does not comply with the technology, lime residues end up in the finished product. And when such sugar is added to tea, a white foam appears on the surface of the liquid.

And you can add foam:

The next step in the production of sugar is the grinding of beets, obtaining the so-called shavings, from which sugar is extracted when water is added. Sugar is extracted from beets using special chemical compounds. They are called surfactants (surfactants). Basically, it's a cleanser. It turns out that surfactants are found in soap and washing powders. It has been observed that if surfactants similar to the surfactants of washing powder are added to a mixture of grated beets and water, the yield of sugar at the end of the process increases. Why is this happening? Roughly speaking, the beet chips were washed off. Surfactants stick together all the dirt in the sugar syrup and turn it into a precipitate. After that, the surfactants are filtered out. If this is done in violation of technology, surfactants get into the finished product. And this is definitely a marriage.

And not only did white foam appear on the surface, a little undissolved substance remained at the bottom.

In addition, refined and unrefined granulated sugar can be partially replaced by other food products (flour, semolina) or non-food products (chalk, alabaster, gypsum, lime, sand). There are also known cases of detection by inspectors of the Gostorginspsktsiya (now Rospotrebnadzor) mixing crushed glass with sugar. To detect such falsification methods, the solubility of the product and the transparency of the sugar solution are checked. All of these adulteration agents are insoluble in water. After stirring and dissolving the sugar, they will precipitate.

As a result - the worst test result. Total 9 Brix:

This granulated sugar is categorically not recommended for purchase. Not only does it contain substances that are unhealthy, sugar is not sweet, but the solution also has a vile appearance due to foam and sediment.

Sample number four:

Russia, city of Kursk:

The result is 10 Brix:

High-quality and sweet granulated sugar, it will not cause harm to health, unlike the previous sample.

Thank you for your attention. All health.

The Brix scale will help you identify quality food. It measures the solids content of juice, which includes sugars and valuable minerals and trace elements.

Once you learn how to test fruits and vegetables with a refractometer, you have the tool you need to see if a product is low, average, good, or excellent.

Refractometer Refractometer Table for Fruit, Berry and Vegetable Juices - Calibrated in % Sucrose Within a given plant species, a crop with a higher refractive index will have higher sugar, higher minerals, higher protein and more specific gravity or density. Foods with a high BRIX value represent more mineral, nutritious foods with lower nitrate and water content, more low temperature freezing and better storage attributes.

Fruits and berries

	Short	Average	Good	A great
Apple	6	10	14	16
Avocado	4	6	8	10
Banana	8	10	13	14
Blueberry	8	12	14	18
Melon	8	12	14	16
Cherry	6	8	14	18
Coconut	8	10	14	16
Grape	8	12	16	20
grapefruit	6	10	14	18
Lemon	4	6	14	12
Lime	4	6	10	12
Mango	4	6	10	14
Orange	6	10	14	20
papaya	6	10	18	22
Peach	6	10	14	18
Pear	8	10	12	14
A pineapple	12	14	20	22
Raisin	60	70	75	80
Raspberry	6	8	12	14
Strawberry	6	8	12	14
Tomato	4	6	8	12
Watermelon	8	12	14	16

Vegetables

	Short	Average	High	A great
Asparagus	2	4	6	8
Beet	6	8	10	12
Pepper	4	6	8	12
Broccoli	6	8	10	12
Cabbage	6	8	10	12
Carrot	4	8	12	16
Cauliflower	4	6	8	10
Celery	4	6	10	12
young corn	6	10	18	24
Peas	4	6	10	12
Cucumber	4	6	8	12
Salad	4	6	8	10
Garlic	28	32	36	40
string beans	4	6	8	10
Hot peppers	4	6	8	10
Kalrabi	6	8	10	12
Onion	4	6	8	10
Parsley	4	6	8	10
Peanut	4	6	8	10
Potatoes	3	5	7	8
Sweet potato	6	8	10	14
Swede	4	6	10	12
Pumpkin	6	8	12	14
Corn	6	10	18	24
Turnip	4	6	8	12

Video how to check the quality of fruits and vegetables

Determination of honey moisture

Determining the moisture content of honey with a refractometer can be done using a table to convert BRIX values to % water content in honey. According to the GOST 19792-2001 standard, the limit value of the mass fraction of water in all types of honey should not exceed 21%. When the moisture content of honey is more than 21%, fermentation of honey occurs.

Correspondence table for BRIX readings and honey moisture content

BRIX at 20 C	Moisture content of honey in %
77	21
78.35	20%
79.39	19%
80.42	18%
81.45	17%
82.5	16%
83.55	15%
84.61	14%
85.66	13%

Video how to check the moisture content of honey

Brix to Specific Gravity Converter and Alcohol Yield

BRIX value	Specific Gravity Value	Potential alcohol yield:
1	1.0039	0.5%
2	1.0078	1.0%
3	1.0117	1.5%
4	1.0157	2.0%
5	1.0197	2.5%
6	1.0237	3.0%
7	1.0277	3.6%
8	1.0318	4.1%
9	1.0359	4.7%
10	1.0400	5.2%
11	1.0442	5.8%
12	1.0484	6.4%
13	1.0526	7.0%
14	1.0568	7.6%
15	1.0611	8.2%
16	1.0654	8.8%
17	1.0698	9.5%
18	1.0741	10.1%
19	1.0785	10.8%
20	1.0830	11.5%
21	1.0875	12.2%
22	1.0920	12.9%
23	1.0965	13.6%
24	1.1011	14.4%
25	1.1057	15.1%
26	1.1103	15.9%
27	1.1150	16.7%
28	1.1197	17.5%
29	1.1244	18.3%
30	1.1292	19.2%

13.01.04

Brix number

Question:
- I'm going to import fruit juices. Explain what Brix is. And why is it required at customs?

Answer:
- For the correct declaration of goods, you need to know the composition of juices.

The main quality indicators of these drinks, which are often taken into account in commercial transactions, are: density, soluble solids - the Briquet number, as well as the Ratio indicator.

The Briquet number characterizes the content of soluble solids. According to this indicator, one can judge the degree of juice concentration. Concentrated juices have the highest density and correspondingly high content of soluble solids. For example, concentrated orange juice should have a Briquet of 60 - 67, while the minimum for reconstituted juice is about 11.

The Ratio indicator is used to evaluate palatability drinks. It characterizes the ratio of sugar and acids. Products with a balanced ratio of Sugars and acids have a Ratio ranging from 12 to 15. Products with a Ratio of more than 15 have a predominant sweet taste. with Ratio less than 12 - predominantly sour.

Quality indicators of juices are determined in laboratory conditions.