Refractometer J57-VT
Benchtop Refractometer for the Food Quality Testing. When QC Counts
The J57-VT High Accuracy Refractometer and J57-VT Wide Range Refractometer are part of the Rudolph Research Product Line. The Rudolph J57-VT High Accuracy and J57 Wide Range refractometers are designed to meet the unique needs of food quality testing where the automatic refractometer is viewed as a quality control (QC) tool rather than a laboratory instrument. A single flat measurement surface, automatic electronic temperature control, and one button measurement capability make it perfect for heavy use food industry applications. In the food industry, fast, automatic, and accurate Brix readings are required.
Excellent for QC when Quality is truly important in the Food and Beverage product industry.
Key Features
- Easy to clean, shallow Sample well. A clean sample well is imperative to accurate measurements
- 3-Year Domestic Warranty
- Lifetime Support Guarantee
- Modern Refractometer Data Storage
- Wide Measurement Range for the Chemical Industry
- Durability to stand up to the harshest environments
- High Accuracy
- Most importantly, rugged design as well as small foot print
- In addition, J57VT offers an wide Refractive Index (RI) measurement range from 1.26 – 1.70
Specifications
Rudolph J47 & J57
Series of Refractometers
J57 Benchtop Refractometer
Comes in 2 models
Model J57-VT High Accuracy
Where High Accuracy is critical the J57-VT HA Model Refractometer offers Accuracy of ±0.00002 RI and Brix Accuracy of ±0.01 with an RI Measurement range of 1.32-1.53 and Brix measurement range of 0-100. The capabilities of J57-VT HA are designed to meet the application requirements of the Food and Beverage Industry.
Model J57-VT Wide Range
Where Measurement Range is most importance the J57_VT WR Model Refractometer offers an RI Measurement range of 1.3-1.7 and Brix measurement range of 0-100 with Accuracy of ±0.0001 RI and Brix Accuracy of ±0.1. The Rudolph J57-VT WR is an excellent fit for Chemical Industry Laboratories where applications often require a wider RI measurement range.
Unique Features and Capabilities
to meet your Application
Rudolph J57-VT High Accuracy refractometer features a fully automatic measuring system. The operator simply places the sample on the prism, presses a button and the results are displayed on 7.5cm x 10cm back lit LCD. There are no shadow lines to match and there is no eyepiece requiring operator determination or manual adjustment.
BRIX readings are very sensitive to temperature changes while food industry samples tend to arrive at the refractometer either very hot or very cold. Temperature related variations in BRIX readings can be minimized by using the ICUMSA temperature correction for sucrose, but only minimized, not eliminated. The ICUMSA Temperature Correction Table was developed for a sucrose and water solution and the further from pure sucrose and water the sample is, the more inaccurate Temperature Correction becomes.
Temperature Correction also requires that the sample temperature remains stable during the measurement. So a room temperature sugar solution measurement works reasonably well, but if a sauce sample or syrup comes from a kettle or a refrigerator, temperature correction will be almost useless. The solution to measuring hot samples has always been to control the sample temperature with a circulating water bath and then clean and maintain the water bath. This is still not ideal as bringing samples to temperature with a water bath is slow and maintaining a water bath is time consuming. The J57-VT refractometers addresses this issue with a built in, maintenance free, electronic temperature control which provides the best solution for these real world problems: absolute accuracy regardless of sample type and excellent thermo-stability no matter what the sample or environmental temperatures are. Standard configuration includes sample Temperature Control from 10ºC to 65ºC.
The J57-VT HA was designed for the food industry with a BRIX range of 0 – 100% and a Refractive Index range of 1.33 – 1.53 RI. The J57-VT HA has a ±0.01 BRIX and ±0.00002 Refractive Index (RI) accuracy, which matches the accuracy of Rudolph’s best refractometers. Combined with absolute temperature control the J57-VT HA delivers high accuracy and consistent readings, perfectly designed for rigorous Food Industry applications.
Regardless of the specified instrument accuracy the real world performance will always depend on how well the instrument is cleaned between samples. The J57-VT refractometers address this issue by providing a very flat easy to clean measurement surface with no corners or crevices that tend to trap sugars, syrups, and other food industry samples.
When a traditional automatic refractometer is used in a high throughput application, prism replacement becomes a regular task. This is because traditional Abbe refractometers have glass prisms which are much softer than the sapphire prism of the rugged J Series refractometers and thus more prone to scratching and general wear and tear which can result in inaccurate readings potentially unknown to the operator.
Traditional industry has used an ABBE refractometer either with or without a water bath. The cost of replacing the water bath and the Abbe dual glass prism over time makes the cost of owning a Rudolph Research J57-VT with its single sapphire prism and electronic temperature control, actually less than the cost of an Abbe over their comparable useful lives. The speed and accuracy of readings also increases productivity and reduces costly mistakes that can be potentially caused by inaccurate readings.
The J57-VT Automatic Refractometer offers 1 or 2 point calibration. The instrument stores the date and the time of the last calibration in line with ISO and similar standards. Regardless of how many times the refractometer is calibrated it can always be restored to the default factory calibration.
Versatile laboratory instruments have advantages when applications change however this versatility can also lead to confusion during regular production use with extra buttons and by forcing operators to interpret extra results that have no relevance. The J Series customizable digital display allows the instrument to be configured to exactly what is required for each application. The customizable keypad can be “locked out” or just a few keys can be operable, making for an even faster user learning curve. The lockout function, calibration and other functions are all password protected.
All functions of the J57-VT Automatic Refractometers are activated through a large 4.3″ 480dpi, digital, color TFT LCD touch screen. The 70mm X 75mm measure button on the J57-VT is designed to allow an operator wearing gloves to activate measurement with an elbow or side of a hand. The sealed touchscreen is resistant to fingernails, sharp objects, chemicals and acids.
A combination of password protection and being able to lock out specific “keys” enables control over which users can access certain functions. This means that the J57-VT can be set up as a one-button instrument for factory environments.
In today’s highly regulated environment many users find hard copy or computer record keeping essential. The J57-VT comes complete with an RS232 port and a forward facing USB port.
Target
Markets
Chemical Concentration Measurements
Description
Many chemicals are sold and shipped as solutions. Both suppliers and end users want to know the exact concentration of the solution. That concentration determines the value of the material and, from a users point of view, how much is added to the process mixture. Refractometers are an extremely quick way to validate starting material purity, measure concentrations, and validate mixture end points. Our rugged instruments can be located in a load out area or beside a production line, not just in a lab.
Why Choose Rudolph
Typical Rudolph Users
Three Choices From Rudolph
J57
Very simple to operate, minimal bench space and a good choice when there is just one dedicated application.
J357
Very wide range so it can measure materials dissolved in fluorocarbon solvents. Flat, easy to clean prism, with on-board concentration programming.
J457
All the advantages of the J357 but operating from a seperate computer allowing easy data transfer to SAP, Excel and similar.
Food Quality Control
Description
Measurement of Brix is central to food manufacturing. Consistant Brix measure is key to product consistency. Food product profit margins are tight, so careful monitoring of the quality of incoming raw material and also strict monitoring of how much of that raw material is used in the process are the main drivers of factory profit.
Brix Range 0-100; RI Range 1.33-1.53; 1.29-1.72
Why Choose Rudolph
Typical Rudolph Users
Three Choices From Rudolph
J57
Very simple to operate, minimal bench space and a good choice when there is just one dedicated application.
J357
Very wide range so it can measure materials dissolved in fluorocarbon solvents. Flat, easy to clean prism, with on-board concentration programming.
J457
All the advantages of the J357 but operating from a seperate computer allowing easy data transfer to SAP, Excel and similar.
Biological Fluid Analysis
Description
Samples are sometimes very difficult to obtain, and the refractometer test is a “non-destructive” test on a very small sample volume. The sample might come from a small animal and the volume is minimal. Samples from humans are subject to regulations and right of refusal, and retaining the sample is important. The number of samples tested is often very high, and the refractometer is a rapid test. There is a lot of variability between biological entities and, in the case of humans, testing often matters by individual, it’s not enough to just test one or two and use that for the group. Large samples can be divided up into smaller volumes for repeat testing.
Why Choose Rudolph
Typical Rudolph Users
Three Choices From Rudolph
J57
HA-EP
The standard reference instrument for urine Specific Gravity(SG) measurement for workplace drug testing.
J457
ULV
Ultra low volume design (as low as 10μl) for research applications.
J457
OMDP
Automated system
for high volume testing.
Sugars
Description
The sugar processing industry uses refractometers across the entire production process. Whether the source is sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beets, or corn based sweeteners our refractometers monitor Brix and Refractometer Dissolved Solids (RDS) in all aspects of our customers processing. Accurate Brix and RDS measurement is a key to process control, and end product purity all which help sweeten the bottom line.
Why Choose Rudolph
Typical Rudolph Users
Three Choices From Rudolph
J57 HA-EP
Very simple to operate, minimal bench space, temperature controlled.
J457KVP
Pour-In design allows for high through put of similar samples with regular prism cleaning.
Autopol 880 & J157
Combined solution for sugar purity measurements.
