Abstract:
The invention relates to an automated system (100; 200) and a method (300; 400) for performing analysis on a sample. The sample may e.g. be of grain, foodstuff or feed and the analysis may be for measuring the concentration of one or more specific constituents which might affect the quality of the grain, foodstuff or feed. Such constituents could e.g. be mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, ochratoxin, fumonisin, aflatoxin, and 1-2 toxin, and/or enzymes such as amylase in general, or alpha-amylase in specific. The system (100; 200) comprises containers (10; 12; 14; 16) for the sample and for liquids used during the measurements. The container (10) for the sample comprises grinding means (20) for grinding the sample and inlet means (11 ) for inletting solvent liquid from another container (12), preferably during the grinding so as to speed up the extraction of constituents from the first sample. The system (100, 200) moreover comprises a sensor (50) for measuring the concentration of the one or more specific constituents, which may be a biosensor or another type of biosensing system.
Abstract:
A device for analysis of a composite specimen (1) by a spectroscopic image (22) characterised in that a topographic profile (16) is recorded and characterised further in that an integration of the topographic profile (16) and the spectroscopic image (22) is carried out into one or more aggregated or segregated values of interest for the composite specimen (32).
Abstract:
An apparatus for spectrophotometric analysis comprises a sample reception surface, which is arranged to receive a sample to be analysed, and a sample contacting surface, which is moveable in relation to the sample reception surface such that it may be brought to a first position, where the surfaces are sufficiently far apart to allow the sample to be placed on the sample reception surface, and a second position, where the sample contacting surface makes contact with the sample and compresses the sample. The apparatus further comprises a sample thickness controller, which is arranged to control the distance between the sample reception surface and the sample contacting surface in the second position of the sample contacting surface, such that a sample thickness between the surfaces may be shifted for obtaining at least two measurements of the sample at different optical path lengths through the sample.
Abstract:
The invention provides a method for standardising an infrared spectrometer based on spectral patterns of constituents of atmospheric air naturally occurring in the spectrometer. The invention also provides a spectrometer applying the method. The method selects a spectral pattern in a recorded spectrum and determines a wavelength dependent position value for a feature, such as the centre of the pattern. This value is compared to a reference value that may be obtained from a spectrum recorded by a master instrument, and a standardisation formula can be determined. The absorption peaks from CO 2 ( g )around 2350 cm -1 are preferred as the selected pattern. The method renders the use of reference samples unnecessary and allows for the standardisation to be performed simultaneously with the recording of a spectrum of a sample of interest.
Abstract:
Method of Analysing Foodstuff Samples Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy A method of analysing a foodstuff sample using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, comprising: ashing the foodstuff sample to generate an ash residue (Step 2); and forming the ash residue into a pellet (Step 3) by: loading into a die at least a portion of the ash residue (Step 3a) and a support material as a layer covering a second surface of the ash residue opposite a first surface (Step 3c); and compressing the ash residue and the support material in the die to form a layered pellet (Step 3d).
Abstract:
A method for determining an optical pathlength (L) of a cuvette of a spectrophotometric apparatus comprising: obtaining (720) a single beam spectrum (SBZ) of a liquid zero-material at least in a first energy region in which the liquid zero-material absorbs; obtaining (740) a single beam spectrum (SB2) of a second liquid at least in the first energy region, the second liquid having a composition excluding the liquid zero-material and having no absorption in the first energy region; determining (760) a dual beam spectrum (DBZ) of the liquid zero-material relative to the second liquid at least in the first energy region from the two obtained single beam spectra (SBZ; SB2); and calculating (780) an optical pathlength (L) through the cuvette dependant on spectral information obtained from the first energy region of the determined dual beam spectrum (DBZ).
Abstract:
A container positioning device (2) has an upper surface (6) on which to receive a container to be positioned. At least three pushers (12a-c) are provided by which to position the container, each pusher (12a-c) being reciprocally moveable across the upper surface (6) simultaneously towards or away from one another along a different associated path (34a-c). An actuator (18,20a-c) is disposed beneath the upper surface (6), which upper surface (6) acts as a physical barrier between the pushers (12a-c) and the actuator (18,20a-c). Each pusher (12a-c) comprises a magnetic or a magnetisable material (30a-c) magnetically couplable to the actuator (18,20a-c) for movement in response to actuation thereof.
Abstract:
A system (2) for accepting or rejecting a container (4) containing a meat batch comprises a reader (8) and a controller (12) cooperating to effect the acceptance or the rejection of the meat batch. The reader (8) is configured to interrogate a machine readable tag attached to the container (4) to retrieve information stored thereon into the controller (12) which is configured to respond to the information retrieved by the reader (8) to access batch information comprising at least information indicative of a fat content of the meat batch, to compare the batch information with a criterion of a recipe related to a target fat content to determine a suitability of the meat batch for inclusion in a mix meeting the recipe, and to generate a control signal dependent the determination usable to effect acceptance or rejection of the meat batch as appropriate to the determination.
Abstract:
A liquid analyzer (2) comprises a liquid sample intake (4) for immersion in a liquid sample (6); at least one measurement zone (16;16'); and a first pump module (P1) operable to effect liquid flow from sample intake (4) towards the at least one measurement zone (16;16'). A first pressure monitor (36) is provided to measure pressure between the sample intake (4) and the at least one measurement zone (16'16') and the operation of the first pump module (P1) to regulate the liquid flow in the liquid conduits (22) is regulated in dependence thereon.
Abstract:
A method of determining components of a flowing heterogeneous sample comprising obtaining a sample of material; measuring mid-infrared attenuation values of the sample and calculating in a data processing unit an indication of the component of interest in the sample from the measured mid-infrared attenuation values characterised in that the method further comprises flowing the sample; concurrently interacting mid-infrared radiation with the flowing sample in a measurement region and subsequently measuring the mid-infrared attenuation values for one or more wavebands of the interacted radiation.