SOP: Determination of Light Berries
GIFSQ — Global Institute for Food Safety & Quality
Reagents
- Alcohol–Water solution — Sp. gr. 0.80–0.82. The alcohol may be ethyl alcohol or denatured spirit.
- Prepared Sample — Remove extraneous matter and pinheads from the test sample.
Procedure
Weigh accurately 50 g of prepared sample and transfer to a 600 mL beaker
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Add 500 mL of alcohol–water solution and stir the material with a spoon stirrer
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Allow the material to settle for 2 minutes and then spoon off the berries that float on the surface
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Repeat the process of stirring, settling and removal of floating berries until no more berries float on the surface in two successive stirrings
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Weigh the light berries removed
Note: Only berries which float on the surface should be removed and not those which may stay suspended some distance below the surface of the alcohol–water solution.
Calculation
Light Berries (% by weight) = (w × 100) ÷ W
Where,
– w = Wt. in gm of the light berries removed
– W = Wt. of the sample in gm taken for the test
References
FSSAI (2016), Manual of method of analysis of foods — spices and condiments; Method no 14.2.