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Producing food that is safe for human consumption is obviously the most crucial target the food production and processing industry needs to achieve. Another important factor is the right flavour to win new and keep existing customers. Some strict requirements and standards must be met before a food product can be launched. Just a few mistakes and discrepancies in food production may lead to serious consequences for a large number of consumers, from just bad taste or short storage life to bacterial infections and poisoning.
A food manufacturer must make sure these problems do not occur in order to keep up a good reputation and prevent high financial expenses. Several parameters need to be observed to achieve the two goals of good taste and safe consumption, e. g. temperature, bacteria and toxins, as well as the pH value, i. e. the quantity of the hydrogen ion activity in a solution. Solutions with a pH value below 7 are considered acidic; solutions with a pH value above 7 are considered basic / alkaline.
A food pH meter allows for exact monitoring of the slightest changes in the pH value in a food product in the process of fermentation, brewing, heating, boiling, mixing with additives and other ingredients, etc.
Leaving the pH value at a high level – i. e. over 4.5 – creates the perfect condition for dangerous bacteria growth.
The pH value can be measured with the PCE-228M food pH meter which can also measure Redox (optional electrode required) and temperature. This pH meter from PCE Instruments is often used for meat and cheese but also for other types of food.
The PCE-228M can measure pH values between 0.00 and 14.00 pH, at an accuracy of ±(0.02 pH + 2 digits). The values are directly saved to the SD card as an Excel file and transferred to a PC via the optional cable and software. This makes the portable pH meter the ideal tool for long-term on-site measurements. Temperature compensation can be carried out both automatically or manually.
The standard package includes the PCE-228M pH meter, a knife electrode, a 2 GB SD memory card, a temperature sensor, 6 batteries and a user manual.
Additionally, calibration solutions for pH4, ph7 and pH10 can be purchased, as well as a 3 mol/l storage solution for the electrode or a PC software with a USB data cable for further visualisation of the test results. A cleaning solution can also be purchased as an option, just like the Redox electrode. An adaptor from RS-232 to USB is also available as an optional accessory.
On PCE Instruments’ website, you can find some more information on this and other pH meters which are suitable for different applications in various sectors.
