Measurement of Fat, Protein, and Moisture in

Dairy Products

The Brimrose NIR spectrometer has numerous applications in the dairy industry. Readings on various products such as milk, butter, cheese, and margarine can be done quickly and accurately in an industrial environment. Properties that can be measured in dairy products include fat, protein, and moisture. The Luminar 3030 Free Space technology allows scanning through a container without any interference to the product.

Spray Dryer Analysis of Moisture and Particle Size

The Brimrose NIR spectrometer can make real-time on-line measurements in a NIRO spray dryer. Properties that can be measured in a spray dryer include moisture and particle size in various products, caffeine in decaffeinated coffee, and fat, protein, and lactose in milk powder. The picture on the left shows a Brimrose Luminar 3030 Free Space spectrometer mounted onto a spray dryer. This unit and another unit were multiplexed to scan spectra on two dryers and real-time readings were taken every five seconds

 Monitoring Sugar Content, Brix and Acidity in Orange Juice

The Brimrose NIR spectrometer has also been used in an orange juice production line to measure sugar content, brix and acidity. Feed lines of juice with varying brix and acidity content are fed into a blender. The Brimrose instruments provides real-time process control readings on the contents of the blender. A multiplexer with fiber optics and flow cells provide information on the parameters of the orange juice and this information is used in Modbus to provide process feedback and control in a closed loop. The Brimrose multiplexer allows for readings to be taken from up to 16 different points in the process.

Testing the Shelf Life of Food Products

the Brimrose NIR spectrometer can be used to test the shelf life of food products and difference between process areas as well as ability to detect bacterial growth through containers. A Brimrose Luminar 3060 multiplexer can use a transflectance probe to take readings on food products that have been on the shelf or coming out of certain areas of the production process. The Brimrose instrument is accurate and fast enough to take readings every 20 seconds to determine these parameters in food.

 Measurement of Fat and Moisture Content in Corned Beef

Fat and moisture are critical parameters for product control and product specification in meat products. Brimrose Free Space spectrometer can be used for real-time on-line measurements of fat and moisture in corned beef, resulting in increased product quality and increased profitability. The fast scanning speed and lack of moving parts produces accurate readings. The followings show how Brimrose Free Space spectrometer can accurately measure fat and moisture in meat products using spectral data and calibration models:

• Figure 1: First Derivative Spectra of 140 Corned Beef Samples Transferred from a Foss NIR Systems Spectrometer to a Brimrose Free Space Spectrometer Using the Brimrose Transcal Program.
  View Enlarged Figure 1
• Figure 2 and Figure 3: PLS 1 Regression Model for Fat and Moisture in Corned Beef. 
  View Enlarged Figure 2    View Enlarged Figure 3