What is the Brix scale?

The Balling Scale was developed by German chemist Karl Balling. It refers to the concentration of a dissolved solids (mostly sucrose) , as the weight percentage sucrose at 17.5 °C.

The Brix scale was originally derived when Adolf Ferdinand Wenceslaus Brix recalculated Balling’s scale to a reference temperature of 15.5 °C. The Brix scale was subsequently recalculated again, and now uses a reference temperature of 20 °C. Brix can be approximated as 261.3*(1 – 1/g), where g is the specific gravity of the solution at 20 °C.

Brix is primarily used in fruit juice, wine making and the sugar industry. Brix is used in the food industry for measuring the approximate amount of sugars in fruits,   vegetables, juices, wine, soft drinks and in the sugar manufacturing industry. For fruit juices, one degree Brix is about 1-2% sugar by weight. This usually correlates well with perceived sweetness. Since Brix is related to the concentration of dissolved solids (mostly sucrose) in a fluid it is therefore related to the specific gravity of the liquid. Because the specific gravity of sucrose solutions is well known, it can also be measured by a refractometer.

Modern Brix meters are digital refractometers that calculate the Brix value based on refractive index. These meters are typically portable, splash-proof and very simple to use, so that they can be operated by anybody directly on location. More and more often Brix is measured to determine ideal harvesting times of fruit and vegetables so that products arrive at the consumers in a perfect state or are ideal for subsequent processing steps such as vinification.

Milwaukee Refractometer

The Milwaukee Refractometer series are precision optical instruments used for measuring concentrations of substances in aqueous solutions. They work using the principle of light refraction trough liquids. When passing light trough a liquid the refracted angle will be shown on the scale determining the amount of dissolved solids in the liquid.

The Milwaukee refractometer is very simple to use: simply place one drop of your sample on the prism and read the results on the scale immediately!

All the Milwaukee refractometers have adjustable focus, easy to read numbers for good resolution and zero adjustment screw for calibration.

Each Milwaukee refractometer is calibrated and adjusted to measure at 20°C (68°F). Models with Automatic Temperature Compensations are also available, and are suitable, for applications where the temperature of the samples vary.

No related posts.