The HI96814 is a rugged, portable digital refractometer designed for sugar (% Brix, °Oe and °KMW) measurement of wine, juice and must. The HI96814 has a high accuracy of ±0.2% Brix, ±1°Oe and ±0.2°KMW. All readings are automatically compensated for temperature variations according to the ICUMSA Methods Book standard and displayed with a 1.5 second response time. The sealed flint glass prism and stainless steel well are easy to clean. Just wipe with a soft cloth in preparation for the next sample.
- Sample size as small as 2 metric drops (100 μll)
- Sealed stainless steel well with high-grade optical prism made of flint glass
- Fast 1.5 second response time for temperature compensated readings
The HI96814 Digital Wine Refractometer converts the refractive index of wine juice or must to sucrose concentration in units of percent by weight, % Brix (also referred to as °Brix). The conversion used is based on the ICUMSA Methods Book (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis). Since the majority of sugar in grape juice is fructose and glucose and not sucrose, the reading is sometimes referred to as “Apparent Brix”.
In addition to % Brix, HI96814 includes two other scales used in the wine industry: °Oechsle and °KMW.
°Oechsle (°Oe) is mainly used in the German, Swiss and Luxembourgish winemaking industry to measure the sugar content of must. The °Oe scale is based on specific gravity at 20°C ((S.G.(20/20)) and is the first 3 digits following the decimal point. One °Oe is roughly equal to 0.2 % Brix.
°Oe = [(S.G.(20/20)) - 1] x 1000
°Klosterneuburger Mostwaage (°KMW) is used in Austria to measure the sugar content of must. °KMW is related to °Oe by the following equation: °Oe = °KMW x [(0.022 x °KMW) + 4.54] 1 °KMW is roughly equivalent to 1% Brix or 5 °Oe. °KMW is also known as °Babo.
“Potential” or “probable” alcohol is an estimation of the alcohol content (% vol/vol) in finished wine based on the conversion between sugar and alcohol. This conversion depends on many factors, such as the type of grapes, the grape maturity, the growing region, and yeast fermentation efficiency and temperature.
The HI96814 is an easy to use tool for winemakers for measuring sugar in grapes or must, in the field or in the lab.
- Designed for wine sugar analysis
- Temperature Compensation algorithms based on sucrose solution
- 0 to 50 % Brix range with a ± 0.2% Brix accuracy
- 0 to 230° Oechsle range with a ± 1 °Oe accuracy
- 0 to 42° KMW range with a ± 0.1° KMW accuracy
Making a Standard % Brix (Sucrose) Solution
To make a Brix Solution, follow the procedure below:
- Place container (such as a glass vial or dropper bottle that has a cover) on an analytical balance.
- Tare the balance.
- Weigh out X grams of high purity sucrose (CAS #: 57-50-1) directly into a beaker.
- Add distilled or deionized water to the beaker so the total weight of the solution is 100g.
- Note: Solutions above 65% may need to be vigorously stirred or shaken and heated in a water bath to roughly 40°C (104°F).
- Remove solution when sucrose has dissolved and allow to cool before use.
Example to prepare as 25% sucrose solution:
| %Brix |
Sucrose (g) |
Water (g) |
Total (g)
|
| 25 |
25.000 |
75.000 |
100.00 |
