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Brix Refractometers

You often hear the term brix and brix refractometer when testing samples for sugar content.  Just what is a refractometer?  A refractometer is an instrument that measures the refraction of light through a substance.  The refractive index becomes higher in a substance of higher concentration.

A refractometer has a wide variety of uses such as measuring sugar concentrations and liquid concentrations.  Refractometers are sometimes called “Sugar concentration meters” or “Density meters” depending on the application.

Brix and refractive index are common measurement scales for refractometers.  A refractometer that measures brix is referred to as a Brix Refractometer.   When measuring solutions that have multiple ingredients the Brix value equals the total concentration of dissolved solids.

About the Brix (%) Scale
Brix (%) shows the concentration percentage of the soluble solids content in a sample (water solution).  The soluble solids content is the total of all the solids dissolved in the water, including sugar, salts, protein, acids, etc., and the measurement reading is the sum total of these.  Basically, Brix (%) is the number of grams of cane sugar contained in 100g of cane sugar solution.  When measuring a sugar solution, Brix (%) should perfectly match the actual concentration. With solutions containing other components, especially when one wants to know the exact concentration, a conversion chart is necessary.

Digital versus Analog Brix refractometers

Brix refractometers are available in hand-held (analogue) or digital models.  Hand held units are read by putting a drop of sample on the prism, closing the daylight plate and then reading the scale through an eyepiece as the instrument is held up to your eye.  A hand-held/analogue unit determines the refractive index or brix by use of the “Transparent System” which measures light as it passes through the sample and the prism.  A low concentration sample has a larger angle of refraction so the boundary line falls on the lower part of the scale, whereas a high concentration sample has a small angle of refraction so the boundary line appears in the upper part of the scale.

Digital Brix refractometers use the “Reflected light system.  When you put a sample on the prism and press the Start button, the light that is transmitted from under the sample will travel and refract in multiple directions.  The angle of reflection is proportional to the refractive index of the sample, and the reflected light is measured by a sensor and converted into the refractive index or brix readout.

Because of their versatility, brix refractometers are used widely to test sugar content in fruit, vegetables, wine and other food products.

About the Author

National Microscope Exchange has been in business since 1991, selling and servicing brix refractometer, refractometers and microscopes. The service staff has 30 years of experience with microscopes, and is the authorized United States service facility for Atago brand refractometers, brix refractometers .

y does sugar level in apples change so rapidly going from high to low (in brix) which is used to measure sugar

sugar level of apples can measured using a refractometer which is in brix % and when the sugar level is measured after 2 days the sugar level goes down in percentage then it comes back up again, then goes down again, might then stay constant. why is this?

The instant you pick any food, esp. one with a high sugar content, it starts to deteriorate. The complex sugars break down to simple, and it slowly begins to ferment. Within one hour, the sugar content changes dramatically, and it continues to do so, although less rapidly, until it is consumed.

Producers and growers actually take this into account in thier work, from selecting species to time of harvest to method of transport. It can make a huge difference to the amount of spoilage. Corn, for example, grown for the mass markets is often a supersweet variety that does not achieve that sweetness until a certain time, usually a few days, AFTER picking, and the sugars degrade. Those who grow for farmer's markets pick and deliver the same day, often being consumed by the customer within hours, and therefore must use other varieties.

This works for every other property of the produce as well, btw. Vit. C in apples degrades to 50% less only an hour after picking. One of the reasons I never adhere to the ridiculous Daily Recommend Dosage for produce (dairy or wheat is included here, too) is due to just this phenomenon. At what point in the cycle do they test the produce? Right off the tree? Do they wait until it would reasonably get to the consumer? Even if they do, am I eating it at that optimal time?

Ignore all such labeling of products or nutritional and calorie advisements, except perhaps the really overprocessed foods. They usually are controlled enough and have most of their nutrients gone and fat and sugars conerted to be accurate. And you don't want to eat alot of those anyway...

Tips for growing garlic
At the beginning of last October, I planted two kinds of elephant garlic and see no signs of sprouting. The year before (2008), I planted garlic in September and had it growing in November. That year it survived our heavy snowfall. Can I expect to see this year's garlic growing soon?

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