More than just a cuvette

Fat is one of the three main macronutrients together with proteins and carbohydrates. Fats that exist in a liquid state at room temperature are referred to as oils. Fats and oils are primarily composed of triglycerides, which are esters of three fatty acid chains and a glycerol backbone. However, these triglycerides may be broken down to mono- and di-glycerides as well as free fatty acids and glycerol. The refractive index of oils and fats is dependent on the content of different glycerides, making refractive index measures ideal for analysing the quality and purity of various fats and oils.

Sugar is the generic name for sweet, soluble carbohydrates. These are found in a variety of food and drinks, either naturally or supplemented during production. Refractive index measures are widely used in the sugar industry for rapid quantification of the sugar content in sugar solutions. Traditionally a specialized refractometer has been required for the refractive quantification of sugar. However, with the innovative NanoCuvette™, a nanosensor has been installed in a cuvette, allowing quantification of sugar to be carried out in a standard spectrophotometer.

Sugar – Application Note

Both basic and applied research is highly dependent on accurate methods for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The innovative NanoCuvette™ is developed to optimize this process, making the analysis not only accurate, but also faster, cheaper and easy to perform. With a nanosensor installed in a normal cuvette, both absorbance and refractive index can be measured on the same sample, using only a simple spectrophotometer and the free, user-friendly software. Moreover, the method requires no cleaning, no calibration, and has no risk of contamination.

BUFFER – Application Note

BSA – Application Note

Pharmaceutical drugs are used for preventing, detecting, treating or curing diseases. One normally distinguishes between small molecules, usually derived from chemical synthesis, and biopharmaceuticals, including proteins and nucleic acids. Drug discovery and development are often complex and expensive processes. However, with the novel NanoCuvette™, quantification and determination of purity becomes faster, simpler and cheaper.

BSA – Application Note

A chemical, also know as a pure substance, is typically defined as a material with a definite chemical composition and characteristic properties, which cannot be separated into other components without the breaking of chemical bonds. This is a very broad group of materials, including everything from water, table salt (sodium chloride) and sugar (sucrose), to acids, bases and organic solvents. Many of these are colourless substances, which can be difficult to quantify. However, with the innovative NanoCuvette™, quantification becomes quick and easy.

Sugar – Application Note

The secret to a perfect flavour or fragrance is having the perfect composition. Therefore reliable quality control is of utmost importance in the flavour and fragrance industries. The measurement of refractive index is a well-established method that ensures consistent high quality. With the innovative NanoCuvette™ this quality can now be obtained using only a simple spectrophotometer, with no need of cleaning or calibration, and no risk of contamination.

Juice is a beverage produced by extracting or pressing liquid from various fruits and vegetables. In the juice industry, proper quality control is of major importance, both in terms of consumer experience and safety. A large variety of components and factors can be analysed, often requiring a comparatively large variety of analytical methods. Refractometry has the advantage of measuring the total of everything in the sample, i.e. if anything is of, it will let you know, making it ideal for quality control. With the innovative NanoCuvette™, this measure can now be performed without the need of cleaning or calibration, and with no risk of contamination.

Juice – Application Note

In any brewery, from home brewers to microbreweries to large-scale production, proper quality control to ensure consistent taste and quality is important. Normally either a hydrometer or a refractometer is used to follow the fermentation process. Additionally, breweries typically use spectrophotometry to analyse wort colour and bitterness, as well as free amino nitrogen. With the innovative NanoCuvette™, also the refractive index can be determined using a standard spectrophotometer, allowing different analyses to be performed on the same equipment.

Food production and processing is a huge industry with wide-ranging implications. As such correct analysis of the various steps in the processing is of utmost importance. One method applied in a range of food industries is refractometry. This includes determination of total solids in milk and tomato, analysis of moist content in honey and syrup, and quantification of the fat content in chocolate. With the innovative NanoCuvette™, this measurement can now be combined with absorbance measurement, giving twice the information, all performed in a standard spectrophotometer, with no cleaning, no calibration and no risk of contamination.

Honey is a sweet, viscous food produced largely by bees. The primary component of honey is sugar, but a wide range of particles, organic materials like yeast and enzymes as well as water is also present. The moisture content of honey is an important determinant in how well it resists spoilage by yeast fermentation, and as such defines the quality and storage stability of honey. Since the refractive index of a solution decreases with increasing moist content, refractometry has been established as an efficient method for evaluating the water content, and thus the quality of honey. With the innovative NanoCuvette™, this measure can now be performed without the need of cleaning, and with no risk of contamination.

Coffee is a darkly coloured drink, brewed on roasted coffee beans from the Coffea plant. It can be served in a variety of ways, including sweetened by sugar. The amount of sugar present in coffee can be determined by refractive measures. Traditionally a specialized refractometer has been required for the refractive measure of sugar. However, with the innovative NanoCuvette™, a nanosensor has been installed in a cuvette, allowing measures of sugar to be carried out in a standard spectrophotometer.

Coffee – Application Note

Water is a transparent chemical substance that covers major parts of the earth, including streams, lakes and oceans. It is vital to all known forms of life, making access to safe drinking water essential. At the same time water plays a major factor in a variety of agricultural and industrial processes, including washing, cooking, transportation, heating and cooling. Many of these processes change the composition of the water, creating wastewater, which can be more or less harmful to humans as well as the environment. With NanoCuvette™, water analysis becomes quick, cheap and easy.

BUFFER – Application Note