Abstract
A planar optical waveguide, excited by monochromatic light, becomes a sensor for measuring the refractive index (RI) of edible oils. RI is commonly used to determine iodine value (IV). This process sensor operates in the presence of nickel catalyst and diatomaceous earth (DE) powders. An on-line refractometer system, incorporating this sensor, demonstrates an accuracy of ±0.0001 RI units (RIU). Resolution is 0.00001 RIU. The waveguide refractometer is based on a loss in light transmission due to a temperature-induced matching of waveguide and oil RIs. An algorithm adjusts the RI to conform to the temperature and wavelength as specified in AOCS Method Cc 7-25 (Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the American Oil Chemists' Society, edited by D. Firestone, American Oil Chemists' Society, Champaign, 1989), the accepted procedure for RI measurement with an Abbé refractometer. The theory, construction and performance characteristics of a prototype waveguide refractometer are described. Samples of partially hydrogenated soybean oils (IV ranges=106–75) are first examined with the Abbé refractometer, then tested in the prototype waveguide refractometer. Catalyst and DE are subsequently added to each sample, and RI data are taken again with the waveguide refractometer. Results confirm the instrument's ±0.0001 RIU accuracy and its immunity to interference from catalyst and DE. Real-time operation holds promise for automatic control, improved production efficiency, and better batch-to-batch consistency of the hydrogenation process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the American Oil Chemists' Society, 4th edn., edited by D. Firestone, American Oil Chemists' Society, Champaign, 1989.
Bailey, A.E.,Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1982, pp. 40, 220.
Bauer, N., and S.Z. Lewin, inPhysical Methods of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 1, Part 2 of Technique of Organic Chemistry, edited by A. Weissberger, Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, 1960, pp. 1217, 1216.
Cole, C.F., Development of a Fiber Optic Refractometer to Measure the Partial Hydrogenation of Edible Oils, Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 1991, pp. 53, 54–58.
Malitson, I.H.,J. Optical Society of America 55:1205 (1965).
Snyder, A.W., and J.D. Love,Optical Waveguide Theory, Chapman and Hill, New York, 1983, p. 4.
Hecht, E.Optics, 2nd edn., Addison-Wesley Co. Reading, 1987, pp. 84, 87, 94.
Cole, C.F., “An On-line Waveguide Refractometer for the Edible Oil Hydrogenation Process, Phase I Report,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Small Business Innovation Research Grant #93-33610-8613, Washington, D.C., 1994, p. 6
Cole, C.F., R.A. Sims and A.J. Adams,SPIE Proceedings: Chemical Biochemical, and Environmental Fiber Sensors-IV, Vol. 1796, September 8–9, 1992, Boston, SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering, 1992, pp. 383–392.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Cole, C.F., Hill, G.M. & Adams, A.J. Automated refractive index measurement of catalyst-laden edible oils undergoing partial hydrogenation. J Am Oil Chem Soc 71, 1339–1342 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02541351
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02541351