Food science articles
Complete Buyer’s Guide to Portable NIR Produce Quality Meters
Portable NIR produce quality meters have become standard tools for growers, packers, and quality managers who need fast, non destructive insight into fruit maturity and internal quality. Instead of relying on destructive sampling or visual estimates, these instruments use near infrared spectroscopy to deliver real data in the field, packinghouse, or cold storage. If you… Continue reading…
Portable vs Benchtop NIR Meters: Which Makes Sense for Your Lab?
Near-infrared spectroscopy has become a standard tool for measuring quality attributes in food and agricultural products. Whether you are tracking dry matter, Brix, firmness proxies, or internal defects, NIR offers fast, non-destructive insight. The real decision many labs face today is not whether to use NIR, but whether portable NIR meters or traditional benchtop systems… Continue reading…
Choosing Between Multi-Gas and Single-Gas Instruments
Selecting the right gas analysis tool often comes down to understanding how much information you really need and how you plan to use it. The debate around multi-gas vs single-gas instruments is common in postharvest handling, storage management, and produce research. Both approaches solve real problems, but they do so in different ways. This article… Continue reading…
Key Questions to Ask Before Buying an Ethylene Analyzer
An ethylene analyzer is no longer a niche tool reserved for research labs. It has become a practical instrument for growers, storage managers, ripening room operators, and quality teams who need better control over fruit maturity and shelf life. As supply chains tighten and quality targets become less forgiving, choosing the right ethylene analyzer matters.… Continue reading…
The Essential Features of a Produce Quality Meter for Export Programs
Export programs live and die by consistency. Once fruit leaves its country of origin, there are limited opportunities to intervene. A produce quality meter gives exporters a way to measure internal quality before that fruit ever reaches a container. For operations shipping to demanding markets, the quality meter has become a practical necessity rather than… Continue reading…
How to Evaluate Data Accuracy in NIR Meters
NIR meter data accuracy is the first thing experienced users look at when deciding whether a handheld instrument is useful or just another gadget. Near infrared spectroscopy is not new, but applying it reliably in the field is still challenging. Differences in optics, calibration models, sampling methods, and validation practices can easily lead to inconsistent… Continue reading…
Investing in a Research-Grade vs Commercial-Use Quality Meter
Choosing the right produce quality meter is a decision that affects data quality, operational efficiency, and long-term return on investment. Whether you are running field trials, managing postharvest storage, or making rapid commercial decisions on fruit maturity, the difference between a research-grade instrument and a commercial-use quality meter matters. At first glance, many quality meters… Continue reading…
Maintenance and Calibration Costs for Gas Monitors: What to Expect
Maintenance and calibration costs for gas monitors are often underestimated during the buying process. Most teams focus on upfront price and core specifications, then get surprised later by service contracts, downtime, or recurring consumables. Over the life of a gas monitor, these hidden costs can exceed the purchase price if the system is not designed… Continue reading…
Selecting the Right Ethylene Analyzer for Your Facility Size and Throughput
If you are shopping for an ethylene analyzer, the spec sheet is only half the story. The other half is how your facility actually runs: how many rooms you manage, how many samples you pull per shift, whether you need spot checks or continuous monitoring, and what ethylene range you truly live in. Picking the… Continue reading…
Buyer’s Guide to Real-Time Data Logging for Gas Monitoring Systems
Real-time data logging is no longer a nice-to-have feature in gas monitoring systems. For operations that manage fresh produce, controlled atmosphere storage, ripening rooms, or research trials, it is now a baseline requirement. Accurate gas measurements matter, but how those measurements are captured, stored, and used over time is what ultimately drives better decisions. This… Continue reading…
