Abstract: A method for continuously determining the water and fat content of a material such as butter which involves instantaneous measurements of the density of the substance, curd content, as well as either the dielectric constant or radiative backscatter intensity. Signals representing these nondestructive measurements are fed to a computer and compared with values of the same parameters which were previously measured by laboratory tests. The comparison permits a calculation of the composition of the substance, specifically fat and water content. In the case of a salted material, salt content can also be calculated.

Abstract: A method for continuously determining the water and fat content of a material such as butter which involves instantaneous measurements of the density of the substance, as well as either the dielectric constant or radiative backscatter intensity. Signals representing these non-destructive measurements are fed to a computer and compared with values of the same parameters which were previously measured by laboratory destructive tests. The comparison permits a calculation of the composition of the substance, specifically fat and water content. In the case of a salted material, salt content can also be calculated.