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The melting profile (Solid Fat Content vs. temperature) is an important property of edible oils and fats used in the food industry. It is especially important in the bakery, confectionery and margarine industries. Melting Curve analysis determines the specific application of the edible oil/fat making it an important quality control parameter for suppliers and end users, as well as for the purpose of product development. Increasing legislation associated with reducing or eliminating trans fatty acids has caused renewed interest in the method because many conventional products need to be reformulated.
Time Domain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (TD-NMR) has been the method of choice for the measurement of solid fat content, over many decades, due to its ease of use and reproducibility.
Measurement takes 6 or 8 seconds for stabilising and non-stabilising fats respectively.
Ensures tight control of your production and product quality.
Simple software guides the operator through the measurement process.
Users can easily carry out routine cleaning to ensure consistent results.
Standard methods
Complies with AOCS Cd 16b-93, ISO 8292-1:2008, IUPAC 2.150 international standards for the Direct method.
Flexibility
The same instrument may also be used to make a variety of other measurements, e.g. oil and moisture content.
Minimal sample preparation
Simply transfer the sample into a tube, condition then analyse in seconds.
Different languages
Instructions can be in English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese by default.
User-defined protocols
Preinstalled with stabilising and non-stabilising fat methods; users can define the protocols (series, parallel or individual measurements) and temperatures used as well as change measurement parameters.
Robust calibration
Instrument is stable and rarely needs to be re-calibrated; if required, the process takes just a few minutes.
Reporting software
Allows data to be examined, plotted and exported to other programs; it also allows melting profile curves to be generated.
Certified standards
The instrument is supplied with certified calibration samples, to determine the f-factor. They are sealed in glass tubes to ensure longevity.
Droplet size is a critical parameter for the stability of food, especially margarine in which the water droplet size distribution determines the microbiological stability. TD-NMR can measure droplet size distribution throughout a small sample without alteration and, if necessary, at a temperature at which it will remain stable. Furthermore, unlike microscopy, TD-NMR is fast, easy-to-use and can analyse a variety of samples, even if they are opaque. The MQR is suitable for both droplet and solid fat analysis.
Video: Solid Fat Content using Oxford Instruments MQC+ Solid Fat AnalyserAfter melting the samples, typically at 100°C, they are pre-conditioned at 60°C and then 0°C to eliminate their thermal history. Stabilizing fats such as cocoa butter require a different temperature regime. Thereafter the samples are usually stabilised at 5-6 temperatures of interest prior to NMR analysis, to allow generation of the melting profile. The MQC+ (and MQR) can be supplied with a range of dry heaters and water baths required to condition/temper the samples.
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