Application of UV-Vis Spectrophotometer in Industry

food industry

If we focus on the food sector, we can find a wide range of applications for this technology. UV-Vis Spectrophotometer s are often used to control the quality of food by its hydroxyproline, starch or nitrite content in meat and meat products; lactose in food and alcoholic beverages; or furanosides in milk.

Additionally, the technology can be used to control trimethylamine, histamine, domoic acid or phosphorus in fisheries and aquaculture products. Also, the device is commonly used to measure citric acid, phosphorus, L-malic acid, D-isocitric acid, glucose, fructose, and sucrose in fruit juices.

Likewise, in honey and bee products, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) can be measured using this technique.

UV-Vis Spectrophotometer s are also used to determine volatile acidity, sulfur dioxide, acetic acid, L-malic acid, tartaric acid, D-gluconic acid or the intensity of color and hue in wine.

In the olive industry, this technique is used to determine the so-called olive oil K-factor, which measures the extinction coefficient of fats and is directly related to the quality of the oil.

As such, in animal feed, UV-Vis spectrophotometry is used to detect urea or nitrite in feed. 

Water Control and Treatment

In addition, public health entities and companies responsible for water control and treatment use UV-Vis Spectrophotometer s, among others, to detect anionic detergents, cyanide, ammonium, nitrite, chromium, or residual chlorine in drinking and bottled water.

Environmental Quality Control

On the other hand, the use of this technique to control environmental quality is often tested in entities and laboratories to determine, for example, biochemical oxygen demand (COD), formaldehyde, anionic surfactants, phosphorus, phosphate, nitrite, nitrate , nitrogen, ammonium, chromium, phenols or sulfides in inland waters. It is also commonly used to measure the levels of these compounds and chemical elements in wastewater and seawater; or to determine the Kjeldahl nitrogen content in soil, sediment and sludge.

Materials industry

But the use of UV-vis Spectrophotometer s touches many more industries, so it is also possible to find applications for this technology in the materials industry. For example, a typical test for alumina and hydroxide is the determination of silica by UV-vis spectrophotometry.

textile industry

Other tests are carried out in the textile industry, some of which are for example the following: Textile materials and textile articles, metal fittings for textile clothing, Cr(VI) in paints, coatings and metal fittings for textile clothing by UV/VIS spectrophotometry Coated surfaces for laminating fabric or plastic materials.