Inexpensive Spectrophotometer for Microbrewery Lab

[H.Raftery]

Hello everyone,

I work for an expanding microbrewery, and part of our expansion is setting up a quality control laboratory. We are looking for an inexpensive spectrophotometer for our lab. Some of the analysis we intend to perform include beer bitterness, alpha/beta acids in hops, diacetyl, protein and a few others. Any recommendations in terms of an inexpensive spectro that might suit our needs?

Thanks,


Harrison

[liammckenna]

Hello everyone,

I work for an expanding microbrewery, and part of our expansion is setting up a quality control laboratory. We are looking for an inexpensive spectrophotometer for our lab. Some of the analysis we intend to perform include beer bitterness, alpha/beta acids in hops, diacetyl, protein and a few others. Any recommendations in terms of an inexpensive spectro that might suit our needs?

Thanks,


Harrison

Do a google on used laboratory equipment. Any UV spectrophotometer is really a pretty simple piece of hardware. Should be reasonably easy to source. You may also wish to touch base with your local university. They often have surplus, older equipment available. The most expensive component in any spec tends to be the replacement bulb.

Pax.

Liam

[jerrymcmahan]

Cole-Parmer sells a good basic UV-VIS spec for about $1000. It's easily the equal of units costing 2-3 times as much (e.g. Spec 20).

[Brandjes]

Check out Laxcoinc.com - In my previous life they were one of my contract manufacturers. List on their low end visible light is $827 and they should discount that for a commercial buyer.

[GarySped]

Spectrophotometers

One of the best on the market for brewery labs is a UV/visible UV10 (or its current replacement) from Thermo Fisher. You need full u/v capabilities for the iso-alphas and IBU's. I can advise you more on this model (there are some minor disadvantages but the benefits outweigh these minor issues) or others - call me or Email gspedding@alcbevtesting.com. Will run you about 2.5K but will be worth it. The other models/companies mentioned above will have issues I can address with you. What you must realize is that there is a lot more to these tests than just the spectro. Its about bandwidth, single vs. dual or multi well cuvette holders, matching cuvettes etc. But we can advise there also. One tip is obtain a decent uv Quartz cuvette - don't EVER rely on plastic (no matter what the manufacturer says about their plastic uv transparent ones). If you don't you will end up doing what another lab did - tested hundreds of samples for IBU's and got them all wrong! I found this out when we got several calls in a row asking if we could test IBU's and then a call from said lab to help them understand what they did wrong. That is one assay we are very very good at doing. Tips and tricks available for the cost and time of a quick call or Email. I think we even still have the method described on the website: www.alcbevtesting.com.

Gary.

[GarySped]

A simple piece of instrumentation?

I must disagree with Liam - A Spectrophotometer is NOT a simple piece of hardware. Its a very sophisticated instrument that can be used in versatile ways depending on slit width, band widths and a host of other features to determine extinction coefficients of molecules and very accurate concentrations. A lot of assays are done colorimetrically and were tested using simple instruments called colorimeters. (We have become a kit generation whereby tests are done with no fundamental understanding going on behind them - thus when the instrument fails to deliver the correct result the operator has no idea it happened or as to why). Uv/visible instruments require careful handling and calibration especially so with cheaper units which are designed to educate students about the principles of their use and not to run precision tests in any laboratory. That's why we need more education of brewers and brewery lab personnel. Testing needs to be done well or not at all. See my earlier note and my lab staff or I will be happy to assist you with any questions regarding this as its one of our favorite techniques/instrument for testing beverages and we can provide reprints of details of methods we use with simple and very sophisticated UV/visible instruments.
Gary.