Product category:
Materials Testing
News Release from: Wilks Enterprise | Subject: InfraSpec VFA-IR Spectromete
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 10 October 2006
Infrared spectrometer for trans-fatty
acid
Effective January 2006, nutritional labels on foods were to include the trans-fatty acid content.
Effective January 2006, nutritional labels on foods were to include the trans-fatty acid content Although trans-fatty acid occurs naturally in many fats, hydrogenated oils can contain three times more trans fat or as much as 35%
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 9 Oct 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Infrared measurement of heavy water
Deuterium Oxide (D2O) or heavy water can easily be measured using a new 'pocket-sized" (5" x 5" x 1.5") infrared (IR) instrument - the InfraSpec VFA-IR Spectrometer - from Wilks Enterprise.
Materials verified with VFA-IR Spectrometer
The new InfraSpec VFA-IR Spectrometer, from Wilks Enterprise, allows chemical and pharmaceutical materials to be quickly verified at remote locations without sending them to a centralized lab.
As a result, the vegetable oil industry is developing new processing procedures to minimize the formation of trans-fats.
The official analysis methods from the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) are either infrared absorption spectroscopy or gas chromatography.
Unlike gas chromatographic methods for trans fat analysis in fats, infrared analysis does not require any sample preparation.
A small amount sample is placed on the ATR crystal and the intensity of the absorption is measured at 966 cm-1.
This band is unique to unsaturated fatty acids.
The saturated and cis unsaturated fatty acids do not absorb infrared energy at this wavenumber.
Wilks Enterprise has developed a unique portable, rugged, easy to use and relatively inexpensive infrared spectrometer, the InfraSpec VFA-IR, that brings the trans-fatty acid measurement out of the laboratory to where it is needed -- in the production area, on a loading dock or in a warehouse.
Using the InfraSpec VFA-IR Spectrometer for at-line measurements enables process changes such as lowering the temperature during hydrogenation or catalyst recycling to be quickly tested for their effectiveness in lowering trans fat levels.
The InfraSpec Spectrometer is easy for the operator in the production area to use since a numeric value in % trans fat is displayed.
The InfraSpec VFA-IR Spectrometer is a new concept in infrared instrumentation.
It utilizes a patented design consisting of an ATR sample plate with an elongated, electronically modulated source on one end and a linear variable filter (LVF) and linear variable array on the other.
The result is a compact spectrometer with no moving parts, no optical path exposed to air that is portable and rugged.
The software includes an internal calibration program that allows for simplified screen interface that give a digital readout in % trans fat for non technical end users. Request a free brochure from Wilks Enterprise ...
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