Refractometer

[CarolynPhillips]

While I was looking up information and photos on the Rose Quartz Multiflora cherry tomato, I came across this YouTube video.
I never would of thought to do this.
I even searched tomatoville for refractometer. It doesn't seem to be anywhere here.
I found several reasonable priced across the internet for measuring the sugar in fruit juice.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEJZ9BJFc04

[Doug9345]

Maple syrup supply places will have them also. I'll be wine making place too.

[LDx4]

Carolyn,

There have been several threads in the past that talked about refractometers. Here's a good one: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=26333

Sometimes the search function here on Tville doesn't give much. If you search on Google using this phrase - site: tomatoville.com refractometer you'll get a lot more results.

Lyn

[amideutch]

Here is Refractometer I picked up from Amazon.com for $25.00.

Ami

[CarolynPhillips]

Thank you Lyn for the search tip. It never has worked for me

Thank you Ami. I found a lot on ebay too.

[Douglas_OW]

Originally Posted by LDx4

Carolyn,

Sometimes the search function here on Tville doesn't give much. If you search on Google using this phrase - site: tomatoville.com refractometer you'll get a lot more results.

Lyn

Lyn,

The Google search tip is a great one; I use it all of the time. Just a note- your example is just a little off in the syntax. In order to confine the search to the Tomatoville domain, you need to type site:tomatoville.com (no spaces) followed by your search terms.

Jim

[LDx4]

Originally Posted by Douglas_OW

Lyn,

The Google search tip is a great one; I use it all of the time. Just a note- your example is just a little off in the syntax. In order to confine the search to the Tomatoville domain, you need to type site:tomatoville.com (no spaces) followed by your search terms.

Jim

Thanks Jim!

I guess I never noticed with my syntax space error that I also get hits from sites other than Tomatoville - I always just zero in on the first results which are usually the ones I want. Removing the space does make the results solely from Tville.

Lyn

[Doug9345]

It can also be at the end of the search string.

[tlintx]

I use the "site" trick all the time when I know something is on a site but can't find it. That plus Googe's cache and the Wayback Machine are invaluable.

On the subject of refractometers -- is the term interchangeable with "Brix meter"? Any advantage for looking for one or the other?

Also, if brix is high, the tomato is sweeter? Modified by acid? I'm a little skeptical of the claims I'm coming across that "Brix equals quality!!!!!". Is the information really that useful? Or more useful than just eating one? I can definitely see the advantage of having a firm number to compare across a number of varieties... but how variable is that number?

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by tlintx

Also, if brix is high, the tomato is sweeter? Modified by acid? I'm a little skeptical of the claims I'm coming across that "Brix equals quality!!!!!". Is the information really that useful? Or more useful than just eating one? I can definitely see the advantage of having a firm number to compare across a number of varieties... but how variable is that number?

I agree there has to be more to it than that or you could improve the taste of a winter store-bought tomato by sprinkling sugar on it.

On the other hand it may be a good indicator if it is genetically linked to other important flavor traits. I'm thinking the same way the rugose leaves are linked to the dwarf trait.

Used that way it would be a quick and consistent way to screen a bunch of tomatoes in a grow out.

[joseph]

I use a refractometer like this frequently in the garden for all types of vegetables: tomatoes, sweet corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, etc. The one problem I sometimes run into, especially with sweet corn, is that the juice being tested needs to be non-cloudy for the reading to be visible. Also the hinges on the cover tend to be a bit weak, so I recommend picking up a spare cover when the meter is acquired.

What I have found after using it extensively, is that while the sensation of sweetness may be related to Brix, it is not reliably so. For example: The biggest surprise of this growing season was when I tasted a white cucumber. It tasted super sweet, but when I tested the brix it was super low. I figure that the white skin lacks some type of bitterness component associated with the green skin. The same type of things happens with yellow-fleshed watermelons. They taste much sweeter to me than red-fleshed watermelons with a higher Brix.

These days I typically use my sense of taste to judge sugar content in my plant breeding programs, and only use the refractometer when I want to have scientific measurements while corresponding with people in other climates.

[CarolynPhillips]

Your opinions and experience was very helpful. thank you.