Food Industry Executive: METER Group Introduces the ROS 1 Moisture Analyzer for Food and Pharma
Breakthrough innovation is the first and only moisture content analyzer to offer reference method-precision, simplicity of an oven, and speed of moisture balance
The ROS 1 generates reference-quality data with ease-of-use comparable to halogen moisture balances, without the time and manual effort of drying ovens or the complexity and chemicals of Karl Fischer Titration (KF Titration).
“Food and pharma manufacturers rely on moisture content measurements to control their processes and comply with labelling and potency requirements,” said Takuya Ohki, VP, METER Group. “The most accurate moisture content methods are incredibly complex or inefficient. Faster methods lack precision and produce questionable results. We developed the ROS 1 to address this gap. It’s fast, precise, intuitive, and handles every detail automatically. It combines the best of all methods without their shortcomings.”
Water content affects storage stability, appearance, texture, and taste, as well as other physicochemical characteristics of food, and is legally stipulated as well.
“With the ROS 1, METER Group has brought to market the first and only moisture content analyzer device to offer precision of reference methods, the simplicity of an oven, and speed comparable to a moisture balance.”
The ROS 1 Moisture Analyzer determines moisture content from as many as nine samples in 40 minutes with reference-method precision. With an element positioned millimeters from the sample, it precisely heats each sample while cycling them across a highly accurate scale. Throughout the process, it records temperature, weight, and time, then generates an exact drying curve for each sample.
Karl Fischer titration is complex and time-consuming. It uses hazardous chemicals and requires a skilled operator. Oven loss-on-drying requires significant hands-on time and often requires hours to complete.
“The ROS 1 brings a new level of efficiency and accuracy to food and pharma production, and delivers unprecedented precision and simplicity to workflows,” added Ohki. “Interaction with samples is minimal; the machine does the work, virtually eliminating the risk of human error or fudged data.”
The ROS 1 uncovers a depth of real-time, actionable insights that moisture balances and ovens cannot detect, without the time and effort usually required. It dries to a standard, so measurements have real context and meaning.
Titration takes a great deal of expertise and is usually only performed by experienced food scientists and other highly skilled employees. It also requires use and disposal of potentially dangerous chemicals.
“By-the-book oven methods require hours of repetitive labor and require constant attention from operators. I’ve met manufacturers that had to run an additional lab shift just to manage oven samples. Conversely, the ROS 1 helps you meet industry regulations while automating rote tasks, freeing scientists to focus their attention on more important, profitable work,” added Ohki.