Abstract:
A liquid analyzer comprises a liquid sample intake for immersion in a liquid sample; at least one measurement zone; and a first pump module operable to effect liquid flow from sample intake towards the at least one measurement zone. A first pressure monitor is provided to measure pressure between the sample intake and the at least one measurement zone and the operation of the first pump module to regulate the liquid flow in the liquid conduits is regulated in dependence thereon.
Abstract:
An optical spectrometer may include: an adjustable sampling space having two opposing side-walls between which in use a sample for analysis is charged and in at least one of which is formed an optical interface translucent to optical energy emitted by an optical energy source; an actuator mechanically coupled to one or both of the opposing side-walls and configured to operate in response to a command signal applied thereto to effect relative movement of the opposing side-walls; and/or an optical position sensor configured to detect interference fringes generated by the optical energy traversing a distance between the side-walls a plurality of times, having passed through the at least one optical interface, and configured to generate the command signal in dependence thereof. The adjustable sampling space may be brought into an analysis position at which the side-walls are relatively inclined to form a wedge shape.
Abstract:
An optical spectrometer (102) comprises an adjustable sampling space (104) having two generally opposing, relatively movable, side-walls (106,108) which are here substantially formed of optically translucent material and between which in use a sample for analysis is charged and an actuator (116) mechanically coupled, here via a worm drive (118), to one or both of the opposing side-walls (108) and operable in response to a command signal applied thereto to effect their relative movement. The spectrometer (102) further comprises an optical position sensor (110,112,114) adapted to detect interference fringes generated by optical energy traversing the distance between the side-walls (106,108) a plurality of times and to generate the command signal in dependence thereof and preferably also adapted to generate an output indexing intensity against an indication of wavelength usable in the spectrometric analysis of a sample material within the sampling space (104).
Abstract:
A system for the measurement of free and bound SO2 in a liquid beverage product sample comprising a sample container having a volume sufficient to provide a headspace above the sample into which a gas can pass; a gas flow system adapted to extract gas from the headspace and recirculating it back into the liquid volume; a measurement system configured to monitor a time dependent evolution of SO2 in gas from the gas flow system; and a dosing apparatus fluidly connected to the container to supply an hydrolysis reagent thereto. A heater unit is provided for supplying thermal radiation into the container to elevate the temperature of sample therein sufficient to facilitate the hydrolysis reaction and a signal processor operates to deconvolute the monitored evolution to generate an indication of the concentration of each of the free SO2 and the total SO2 content of the sample.
Abstract:
An analyser is provided comprising a sample chamber for holding a liquid sample containing particles and an ultrasound source acoustically couplable to the sample chamber to supply resonant ultrasound energy for acoustically concentrating particles in the liquid sample in nodal planes established thereby. A probe is also provided which is adapted to supply electromagnetic energy into the sample chamber and to receive the supplied electromagnetic energy from the sample chamber at least during a time at which particles are substantially concentrated in associated nodal planes. The analyser is provided with an analysis unit in operable connection to a detector of the optical probe and is adapted to determine one or both a quantitative and a qualitative property of the liquid sample from the received electromagnetic energy.
Abstract:
An apparatus for spectrophotometric analysis comprises a sample reception surface, which is arranged to receive a sample to be analyzed, and a sample contacting surface, which is moveable in relation to the sample reception surface such that it may be brought to a first position, where the surfaces are sufficiently far apart to allow the sample to be placed on the sample reception surface, and a second position, where the sample contacting surface makes contact with the sample and compresses the sample. The apparatus further comprises a sample thickness controller, which is arranged to control the distance between the sample reception surface and the sample contacting surface in the second position of the sample contacting surface, such that a sample thickness between the surfaces may be shifted for obtaining at least two measurements of the sample at different optical path lengths through the sample.
Abstract:
The invention relates to measuring instruments, preferably of the kind measuring absorbances, in an object, of electromagnetic radiation in at least two spectral ranges, such as IR instruments, and DXR, meaning Dual X-ray instruments, and more specifically to the determination of properties of food or feed, such as the fat content in milk or meat. The invention relates in particular to a method of providing a correction for a slave instrument of the kind measuring properties of an object by exposing the object to electromagnetic radiation, in particular X-rays, in at least two spectral ranges and obtaining one or more object responses thereto. The responses obtained being preferably based on detecting attenuation and/or reflection and/or scatter of the electromagnetic radiation in/from the object by use of one or more detectors and are obtained in a form where they express properties of the object either directly or via a transformation.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method of determining a constituent of a sample and more specifically, to a method of correcting an absorbance value for a spectrometer. The method is especially applicable in connection with spectrometric analysis instruments for quantitatively determining the chemical composition of fluids, e.g. the content of fat, protein lactose or urea, in food products, especially in raw milk or dairy products. The method is based upon a measurement of one or more selected ranges of a spectrum, providing an absorption spectrum of the product. The method may be applicable in connection with all spectroscopic instruments giving rise to specific ranges of a spectrum, such as UV, VIS, NIR, IR, NMR, MS, etc.). Typically, the spectrum will be a MID-IR absorption spectrum.
Abstract:
A method for determining an optical pathlength through a cuvette of a spectrophotometric apparatus includes obtaining a first single beam spectrum of a liquid zero-material at least in a first energy region in which the liquid zero-material absorbs at least a portion of incident optical radiation; obtaining a second single beam spectrum of a second liquid at least in the first energy region, the second liquid having a composition excluding the liquid zero-material and having no absorption of incident optical radiation in the first energy region; determining a dual beam spectrum of the liquid zero-material relative to the second liquid at least in the first energy region from the first and second single beam spectra; and calculating an optical pathlength through the cuvette based on processing spectral information obtained from the first energy region of the determined dual beam spectrum.
Abstract:
A method of analysing a foodstuff sample using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, comprises: ashing the foodstuff sample to generate an ash residue; and forming the ash residue into a layered pellet based on: loading at least the portion of the ash residue into a die, loading a support material into the die as a layer covering a second surface of the portion of the ash residue subsequently to loading at least the portion of the ash residue into the die, and compressing the portion of the ash residue and the support material in the die to form the layered pellet, such that a first surface of the portion of the ash residue at least partially defines the first surface of the layered pellet and the portion of the ash residue is undiluted by the support material at least at the first surface of the portion of the ash residue.