Abstract: The invention concerns a method and a device for the objective qualitative analysis of liquid vinification compositions, comprising memory means (8) in which are recorded calibrating values of spectroscopic criteria for a group of characteristic parameters comprising the concentration levels of at least a compound produced by Botrytis cinerea, at least a compound produced by yeasts, at least a compound produced by the acetic bacteria, and at least a compound produced by lactic acid bacteria, means (1, 2, 3, 4, 6) for producing a continuous infrared spectrum, and means (7) for calculating the value (VP) of each characteristic parameter in the composition from the spectrum.

Abstract: Properties of a medium of food or feed, such as the fat content of meat, are determined by the use of dual X-ray absorptiometry with dual energy levels. Substantially, the entire medium is scanned by X-ray beams, and the X-rays passing through the medium are detected for a plurality of areas (pixels) of the medium. For each area, values Alow and Ahigh, representing absorption in the area of the medium at low and high energy levels are calculated. A plurality of values being products of the type Alown*Ahighm are generated and used for predicting the properties of the medium in this area. Thereby the accuracy of the property determination is improved considerably.

Abstract: A cuvette for a spectrometric analysis instrument has two opposing windows made of a material, which is transparent to the light of the waveband used for the analysis. The windows define a limited light path of a light beam passing through a cavity inside the cuvette. When using cuvettes having windows of a material, such as diamond, having a refractive index considerably different from the fluid to be analyzed, the window surfaces forming the cuvette cavity should not be parallel, thereby ensuring that the internal distances between opposed areas of the window surfaces will vary across the transparent windows. Thereby any internal reflections within the cavity will add in almost random phase, avoiding any tendency to resonance. This is very advantageous when the instrument is a member of a plurality of instruments, which must be standardized in order to be able to provide uniform calibrations for said plurality of instruments.

Abstract: A method for correcting the settings of a flow cytometer, designed for fast sample handling and counting, allowing about 500 samples per hour to be counted. The counting is based on the provision of data representing a PHA diagram (Pulse Height Analysis) of registered pulses, each indicating a passed cell or particle. To check the settings the user measures a standard sample of uniform microbeads 161 on the flow cytometer, and inserts information on a disk 162 in a computer arranged to process the measured data and to calculate: a plurality of particle counts on the same sample, a mean count, a standard deviation s and/or Coefficient of Variation CV, a signal mean value SM, a signal width (width of the bell-curve in the PHA-diagram). The parameters are compared to pre-set limits (165, 166, 167, 168) and the PHAS curve is compared to an ideal curve PHA0.

Abstract: A method for calibration of an IR spectrometry apparatus for providing and evaluating IR spectra in order to determine very low contents of specific components in a fluid, such as milk, and especially low contents of acetone, in a measuring range above 0, such as from 0.5 mM to 2.0 mM acetone in milk, using at least 50, such as from 50-300 known samples including at least 10 samples representing the fluid without any substantial content of the specific component for the calibration. Preferably, a good calibration for acetone shall be based on spectral information including the spectral ranges 1712-1697, 1419-1396, 1378-1353 and 1249-1226 cm−1, or at least a substantial portion/part of said ranges. By use of the new calibration of a FT-IR-spectrometry apparatus it will be possible to determine the acetone content during the sane IR measurement process used for determining other milk parameters such as fat and protein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an on-line method and a flow system as well as a cuvette for carrying out IR spectrometry for analysis of liquid food products, possibly containing dissolved gases, in a process line in a liquid food product processing plant, especially a dairy processing milk and milk products. A liquid sample is extracted from the process line to a measuring branch, the sample is thermostated and passed to a measurement cuvette. The IR-absorbance spectrum is measured, e.g. in the MID-IR or NIR-range. In order to obtain an on-line monitoring of the process line the liquid food sample is extracted directly from the process line into the measurement branch, in which the pressure is maintaining at least as high as in the adjacent process line. The high pressure ensures that dissolved air will stay dissolved in the liquid food. Before each new sample the measurement branch and cuvette are flushed by high flow rates with a part of the new sample to clean the cuvette.

Abstract: An interferometer for Fourier spectroscopy, wherein the interferometer comprises a beamsplitter (14) and two retroreflectors (20, 26), characterized in that the beamsplitter (14) is mounted movable, e.g., mounted pivotally or displacably, while both retroreflectors (20, 26) are arranged as fixed retroreflectors. The proposed structure is simple to produce, can be made substantially insensible to environmental vibrations, and it is well suited for routine measurements for the determination of quantities of predefined components in a medium. The interferometer is particularly intended for measurements in the mid- or near-infrared range for determination of the quantities of specified components in a medium, and more specifically in a food product, e.g., a liquid such as milk.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the number of particles or cells in a liquid sample. The method comprises a) determining the number of particles or cells in a first volume of the liquid sample, b) determining the statistical uncertainty of the determined number of particles in said first volume, c) if the determined uncertainty is larger than a pre-determined value, determining the number of particles or cells in a further volume of the liquid sample, d) adding the numbers of cells or particles determined in steps a) and c), e) determining the statistical uncertainty of the number of particles determined in step d), f) repeating steps d) and e) with a further volumes of the liquid sample, until the uncertainty determined in step e) is lower than said pre-determined value or until a pre-determined total volume of the liquid sample in which the number of cells or particles has been determined exceeds a pre-determined volume being larger than said first volume.

Abstract: A method for standardizing a spectrometer generating an optical spectrum from a sample, comprising generating at least one optical spectrum from at least one standardization sample each having a chemical composition resulting in the optical spectrum showing a characteristic pattern in a predetermined frequency range, comparing information relating to the pattern(s) to corresponding information relating to at least one reference pattern previously defined as the desired standard response from the at least one standardization sample, determining, based on the comparison, standardizing parameters describing the transition of the pattern(s) of the generated spectrum or spectra to the reference pattern(s) and storing said standardizing parameters in the spectrometer or a computer connected thereto, so that the spectrometer, when presented to an unknown sample, will, using the standardization parameters, generate an optical spectrum substantially identical to that which would be generated in a corresponding spectro

Abstract: A method is disclosed for conditioning samples (of e.g. milk or meat) containing fat globules and somatic cells and/or protein particles before they are subjected to fluorescence measurements in order to determine the bacterial content, as well as methods for performing the determination of bacterial content in such samples. The conditioning method involves the treatment of the samples with an ion-chelating agent, a proteolytic enzyme, detergent, and a bacteriologically specific fluorochrome such as ethidium bromide. Detergent is used in a concentration resulting in substantially no dissolution of the fat globules and the conditioned samples thus loses insignificant amounts of fat globules. The assessment of fluorescence is preferably performed in a conventional flow cytometer. As no separation of fat globules is necessary, the methods are simple and fast. The bacterial determinations have proved reliable when compared to standard methods.

Abstract: A method is suggested for obtaining information on the electromagnetic spectrum of a sample, the method comprising (a) generating a plurality of substantially identical signals, (b) determining the shape of a first number of the signals by performing a first number of scans of a first range of signal width, (c) determining the shape of a second number of the signals by performing a second number of scans of a second range of signal width, the second range being comprised by the first range and comprising a portion of the first range in which the signals have maximum absolute amplitude, (d) combining data from the first number of scans and the second number of scans so as to obtain data corresponding to the shape of the signals, and (e) performing a mathematical transformation of the combined data so as to obtain the information on the electromagnetic spectrum of the sample.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for quantitatively assessing the amount of any extraneous water contained in a milk sample, the method comprising the steps of (a) performing a determination of the infrared (IR) attenuation of the sample in at least one waveband, (b) quantitatively assessing the amount of any extraneous water in the sample on the basis of the determination (a) and predetermined regression coefficients derived from multivariate calibration with respect to the relationship between infrared attenuation in the at least one waveband and the amount of extraneous water. The invention furthermore relates to a similar method for determining the freezing point depression of the sample. In addition, the invention relates to a method for the establishment of a set of regression coefficients for use in an instrument which determines the amount of extraneous water or the freezing point depression of a milk sample.