A method for determining the antioxidant power of a sample of a biological fluid or a food is provided. The method involves contacting the sample to be tested with an aqueous solution of palladium nanoparticles, an oxidizing agent, and a chromogenic peroxidase substrate, and detecting the colour of the final solution thus obtained. The colour intensity of the solution is proportional to the antioxidant power of the sample. A kit for carrying out the method is also provided.

Colorimetric sensors attached to food packaging and exposed to the packaging headspace allow supply chain managers and consumers to monitor food freshness and expected shelf life based on food condition without unsealing containers or relying on the human senses of smell or taste. A gas-permeable membrane prevents direct food contact with sensor material, and color changes indicate increased concentration of volatile organic compounds generated during spoilage of the food spoilage. Color change may be read by machine or eye. One application uses silicon dioxide nanoparticles coated with Schiff's reagent and embedded in milk carton screw caps to detect spoilage to address variations in shelf life due to temperature abuse within the distribution system.

A method and a device for measuring an oxygen content of a headspace gas in a beverage can. The beverage can is oriented upside down to allow the headspace gas to collect at the bottom. A hollow piercer on a piercing head forms a sampling opening in the bottom of the can through which the sampling tube penetrates. The liquid level in the beverage can is lowered to establish a direct connection of the gas-filled headspace and the sampling opening. Then the headspace gas is transported from the headspace to a sensor unit via the sampling tube and/or the hollow piercer or the piercing head. The oxygen content and/or an oxygen partial pressure and/or a headspace volume of the headspace gas are determined by the sensor unit. The sampling opening is closed off airtight by sealing elements arranged on the piercer or the piercing head.

The present application provides a method for tracing wine origin based on multielements and stable isotopes, comprising the steps of: 1) collecting wine samples from a plurality of origins; 2) filtering the wine samples collected in step 1) and using the filtrate for carbon stable isotope ratio analysis of ethanol and glycerol; using the filtrate for analyzing oxygen stable isotopes in water; performing digestion with HNO.sub.3 overnight, and diluting to a constant volume to be tested; 3) performing carbon stable isotope analysis, oxygen stable isotope ratio analysis and elemental analysis; 4) utilizing information of the origins of the wine samples and analytical data of step 3) to perform statistical modeling to obtain a wine origin discrimination model coefficient matrix and a corresponding predicted accuracy rate of the origin discrimination; and 5) determining attributes of the wine origin by using the statistical model.

In a method for monitoring the correspondence of a beer sample with a reference beer, at least 15 reference beer samples of the reference beer are brewed with the same ingredients and the same process parameters. Measurement signals for the absorption spectrum of the reference beer samples are captured and a principal component analysis is carried out for the measurement signals, in which at least 15 principal components are ascertained. A factor loading P.sub.R(i,j) is respectively determined for each principal component for the individual reference beer samples and a reference value (I) is ascertained, where i denotes the reference beer sample and j denotes the principal component, .sub.R(j) refers to the mean value of all factor loadings of the j-th principal component and .sub.P(j) refers to the standard deviation of these factor loadings. A reference interval (II) is formed, where n denotes the number of reference beer samples, m denotes the number of principal components, .sub.R(j) denotes the standard deviation of all reference values of the j-th principal component and k denotes a constant not equal to zero. A measurement signal is captured for the absorption spectrum of the beer sample and the factor loadings P.sub.B(i) of this measurement signal are determined for the principal components ascertained for the reference beer samples and a characteristic (III) is formed and compared to the reference interval. Should the characteristic B lie outside of the reference interval, a fault during the production of the beer sample is indicated.

A facility for producing an aqueous food product and a component of such a facility includes a mixing device with a mixing container and a feed line for fluid media containing at least one ingredient for aqueous food products to the mixing container and a discharge line for a fluid medium, containing the aqueous food product mixed in the mixing device, from the mixing container, and at least one infrared spectrometer, in some cases an FT-NIR spectrometer, arranged and adapted for the inline detection of ingredients of aqueous food products. The present disclosure further relates to a method for producing aqueous food products comprising the inline detection of at least one ingredient in a fluid medium with an infrared spectrometer, in some cases an FT-NIR spectrometer. In addition, the present disclosure relates to the use of an infrared spectrometer, in some cases an FT-NIT spectrometer, for detecting at least one ingredient for aqueous food products or for the inline monitoring of at least one ingredient for aqueous food products in a facility for producing a plurality of containers filled with an aqueous food product.

A system and method are disclosed for differentiating sugar-free and regular carbonated beverages. The system and method exploit the difference in specific gravity of fluid materials by observing calibrated beads immersed in fluids.

A system for non-invasive microwave testing a bottle of wine may include an emission probe for emitting a microwave signal through a wall of the bottle into the wine and a detection probe for receiving at least a portion of the microwave signal from the wine via the wall.

The present disclosure includes a process automation technology sensor for detecting at least one measured variable of a medium, the sensor including a process connection for attaching the sensor to a container in which the medium is located; at least two webs which run essentially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sensor, where the webs are arranged on the medium side extending from the process connection; and at least one first housing portion that comprises a temperature sensor, where the first housing portion is arranged between the webs.

We describe a method of processing data to determine a level of free sugar in a foodstuff or drink, the method comprising: inputting data defining an ingredient list for said foodstuff or drink; inputting data for an empirical analysis (b) of nutrient levels in said foodstuff or drink; inputting data defining nutrient levels for each of ingredient in said ingredient list; wherein said analysed nutrient levels (b) in said foodstuff or drink are expressible as a combination of a matrix (A) of said ingredient nutrient levels and a vector (x) defining proportions of said ingredients in said ingredient list, representing a system of simultaneous equations defining said analysed nutrient levels in terms of said ingredient proportions and ingredient nutrient levels; identifying one or more conditions selected from the group consisting of: i) a solution to said system of simultaneous equations is non-physical, ii) said system of simultaneous equations is underdetermined, and iii) said system of simultaneous equations is overdetermined; modifying said system of simultaneous equations responsive to said identifying to add one or more additional ingredients to said ingredient list, said one or more additional ingredients representing one or more ingredients contributing to sugar content of said foodstuff or drink; and determining a level of free sugar in said foodstuff or drink from said modified system of simultaneous equations.