CEM’s Oracle fat analyser utilises rapid time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) to measure fat content without the many drawbacks of wet chemistry or the extensive calibration, development and maintenance required by other rapid techniques, says the company.
Wet chemistry techniques have traditionally been used for testing the fat and moisture content of foodstuffs. However, such techniques can be time consuming, labour intensive and could often involve hazardous solvents.
To demonstrate Oracle’s accuracy and reliably in determining fat content, even in complex matrices, CEM have used the rapid time-domain instrument in conjunction with its Smart 6 moisture analyser to obtain results for fat and moisture levels from 21 different foodstuff samples.
These results were then compared to fat and moisture level results obtained using solvent extraction. Samples ranged from guacamole to chilli and each sample (2-3 grams) was analysed at least in duplicate for the reference analyses and at least nine times for the Smart 6 – Oracle analyses.
The average difference of results from the two approaches ranged from 0.01 to 0.60% for moisture/solids, and from 0.01 to 0.15% for fat, indicating that the Smart 6 – Oracle analysis results closely agreed with the older reference method.
Moreover, the Smart 6 – Oracle analysis which, combined, only took in the region of five minutes to carry out, had distinct advantages over the reference method, says the company. This was due to its independence of experimental factors, such as extraction time, solvent composition and temperature.
High throughput analysis for Smart 6 – Oracle analysis can also be enabled via the use of batch automation using an optional robot and high capacity (100 position) heater blocks.
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