Contract Analysis | Food Industry | Granulometry by Laser Diffraction

At our applications lab we do several analysis. We´d like to share an interesting example with you.

 

Coffee is one of the most popular and widely consumed beverages in the world today due not only to its stimulating effects on the central nervous system, but also because of its taste and aroma.

One of the crucial steps in processing coffee beans is the grinding, since different types of final use (e.g., espresso, filter coffee, mocha, capsules) require different grinding degrees to adjust specific parameters such as bitterness, acidity, sweetness, or aroma.  All these parameters are highly influenced by particle size.

It is important not only to adjust the particle size of coffee powder, but also to control the overall uniformity of the grinding process.

In the past, sieve analysis was the main method to carry out size measurements, however this technique is time consuming and quite limited. Laser Diffraction is an alternative technique that allows automation and delivers results with higher quality, quicker and in real-time, optimizing the desired product properties.

The right side graphic shows the particle size distributions of four coffee samples in capsule and one sample of soluble coffee. Through its analysis we can observe that soluble coffee has a higher D90 and D50 than coffee in capsules, which is expected considering the differences in the grinding process. Also capsule coffee present different size distributions depending on its type (expresso, decaffeinated, ristretto or lungo)

Analysis reports can be prepared in English (default), Portuguese or Spanish.

Other services can be requested on demand. They include analytical methods development and validation, route cause analysis support, reverse engineering support and technical consultancy in material characterization.