Food testers use various instruments to examine food.
The average person may not want to know exactly what is inside that fast-food hamburger and fries, but it is a food tester's job to find out exactly what we're putting into our bodies. Food testers don't just rely on their taste buds, but instead utilize instruments like digesters, distillation units, protein analyzers and texture analyzers to examine food.
Digesters
The Kjeldahl Method is the process by which food testers determine nitrogen and protein content in food, according to Progen Scientific. The first stage of testing is digestion, where the sample is heated after being mixed with sulfuric acid. Digesters perform this process and are a vital part of food-testing. Digesters can test numerous samples of different sizes at once, from six to 42 samples at a time. Digestion time ranges from one minute to 999 minutes, depending on the sample and size, according to Progen Scientific. Digesters are used on raw foods, like meat and cereal, to determine nitrogen and protein content.
Distillation Units
A distillation unit removes the sulfuric acid used in digestion. According to Fox Scientific, distillation requires a water supply and steam source in order to mix the proper chemicals and distill the sample. According to Progen Scientific, samples are inserted into distillation units and exposed to a boiling solvent followed by a cold solvent. Distillation units can be basic, semi-automatic or automatic as to what action they take on the samples. The higher-tier distillation units include a titrator that completes the next step in food testing, titration. According to Progen Scientific, titration is achieved by adding acid to a sample to calculate the quantity of nitrogen in it. Distillation units complete the Kjeldahl Method of determining the nitrogen and protein content in raw foods like meat, cereal and dairy products.
Fat and Protein Analyzers
Other food testing equipment includes a fat or moisture analyzer. According to Lab Compare, fat and moisture analyzers use microwave heating to analyze items such as beef and butter to determine their fat content. Protein analyzers, on the other hand, are used on dairy and grain samples to determine the protein content on samples that range from 0.5 to 2 grams, according to Lab Compare.
Texture Analyzers
Even something as seemingly arbitrary as texture can be tested in food. Texture analyzers are used in food testing to measure texture, consistency and firmness, according to Direct Industry. A texture analyzer, also called a texturometer, is used with interchangeable heads and sensors and can be attached to a computer to plot graphs and record texture values. Because of the variety of heads and sensors, texture analyzers can record values for almost any food with skin, such as fruits and vegetables. The texture analyzer can even test gels and pastes, according to Direct Industry.
