Sugar Determination by Density and Refractometry | METTLER TOLEDO
Application Method

Sugar Determination by Density and Refractive Index

Application Method

Digital Density Meters and Refractometers Offer a Wide Range of Possibilities to Determine Sugar Content

BRIX – Sugar Determination
BRIX – Sugar Determination

Sugar, through °Brix and °HFCS units, is mostly measured with refractive index or density in the beverage and food industry. These two parameters can be determined with manual methods, such as the abbe refractometer for the refractive index, hydrometers, and pycnometers for density, or digital methods with portable and benchtop digital density and refractometry meters. The use of digital methods has numerous advantages over a manual way, such as operator independence, no breakable glassware, quick and easy sample preparation and cleaning, built-in temperature compensation, and above all, fast, accurate, and highly reproducible measurements.

In this application note you will gain essential knowledge about °Brix, °HFCS, and other related scales, as well as the detailed advantages and disadvantages of each method for density and refractive index.

Learn more about how to measure density and refractive index for sugar determination using METTLER TOLEDO Refractometers and Density meters.