Does a Brix Meter or Refractometer Measure Nutrient Density
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- One of the product claims of rock dust is that it increases the nutrient density of the food we harvest and eat. So how do you measure that?
I have found a number of videos and product claims talking about using a Brix tester or refractometer to measure the nutrient density of produce. So what is a Brix Tester? And does it really measure the nutrient density of your produce?
A Brix tester measures the refraction value of the juice typically from your produce. It commonly used to measure the peak sugar content typically for eating or wine production. The unit most common meters have a detection limit of 0.2%.
Does a Brix Tester or Refractometer measure nutrient density of the vegetables we eat? In order to measure something we have to define what we want to measure. The most common definition of nutrient density is the relationship between the nutrients such as vitamins and minerals to calories.
Most Macronutrients such as sugars and proteins are required in large quantities by humans for the purpose of energy production.
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The non-energy producing elements we need in higher concentrations are Calcium, Sodium, Chloride, Magnesium and Potassium.
The Brix tester is sensitive enough to pick up changes in the macronutrients and minerals we have just touched on. However you are unable to tell if it is the caloric or mineral components that have changed. Most of the detectable minerals can be found in a variety of vegetable and other dietary sources. For more information there are links in the description below.
Micronutrients are included in the non-energy producing dietary requirements for us. Micronutrients or trace minerals are required in small quantities typically under 100 milligrams per day or less. If for instance you take Phosphorus which typically has one of the highest concentrations in food of the micronutrients and you have 631 milligrams in an 88g sample that equates to 0.00733% of the total weight.
Even combining all of the micronutrients massive increases in the concentrations are well below the 0.2% detection limit of the Brix Tester.
What does this mean for using the Brix Tester to measure the nutrient density of food? It can detect some nutrients however concentrations of the caloric component of food is typically larger than the macronutrients the brix tester can detect and the vast majority are undetectable. You also can not tell what component of the produce is causing any increase or decrease.
It is important to state that the nutrient density does not imply bioavailability. What does this mean? Well the food your eating may be nutrient dense but the nutrients may be in a form your body can not use.
Following through with our trial I would like to take a look at Rock Dust and the claims that the Brix Tester or Refractometer can measure the trace elements increases in the fruit grown in rock dust amended soil. The concentrations based on the certificate of analysis for the trace elements are in far too small quantities for the brix tester to pick up.
That said a Brix Tester can be used to demonstrate the improved quality of your garden produce vs that from a grocery store. Often the grocery store fruits and vegitables are picked unripe for shipping. The fruit then ripens on the way to the store. Although the fruit is ripe in the store macronutrients like sugar stop development upon harvesting. This should result in the produce that is picked when ripe from your garden scoring higher then the produce from the grocery store.
Based on what we have just spoken about we are choosing to samples to the lab as their tests should be able to separate the macro and micronutrients and detect to a much lower detection limit.
Over the next few episodes we are going to take a look at the soil and produce to measure things like pH, total nutrient availability and trace elements.
For the average home gardener, the brix meter is a waste of money. It has uses as mentioned by you Stephen but for most people it is just a fancy schmancy gimmick to show off to viewers. Thanks for the rock dust update and the talk about the meter. I actually enjoyed it a lot. :)
Ray I am really glad you liked it ! You know I have always been a simpler is better kind of gardener.
In glad your enjoying the videos !
A comment from 7 years into the future from the date of this video:
Yes, High Brix => High Micronutrient Levels.
Measuring micronutrients in lab tests is expensive (~ $70), so impractical except for very large operations.
Explanation:
High brix implies high levels of photosynthesis...which results in larger amounts of root exudation, which (sugars and lipids) feed the microorganisms that are needed to "mine" and deliver the micronutrients out of the soil and into the plant...thereby increasing the nutritional profile of the plant.
High levels of photosynthesis are required to deliver and absorb micronutrients. And highly functioning plants need the micronutrients in order to achieve high levels of photosynthesis (circular).
So high brix readings practically guarantees high levels of micronutrients since you cannot get the high levels of photosynthesis without them.
Great info there Stephen.. It's helped me understand the readings a bit better now..
I was told it measured measured total available nutrients by a chap at a permaculture fair many years ago & was also told something similar by the chap that sold us ours.. Shall just use it as a general indication of over all health of the plant & fruit they produce from now on ;-)
I haven't used ours in years & meant to dust ours off after watching OneYardRevolution clip a few weeks back but didn't :-/
Just tested a volunteer yellow current tomato that I picked last night & found it had 8 so am pleased with that.. Might just pop down to do readings from the aquaponic & wicking bed plants as well now ;-)
Cheers mate..
Rob Bob You know after doing the research for this piece I was interested to hear so many people promote this as a product that can do that.
It measures peak ripeness quite well but that generally does not quite match with peak nutrient value.
Its an interesting bit of information though. You can compare the same species in different growing conditions to see whats up!
This man deserves 1M subscribers, I feel like im in a safe space of RUclips. 😇
Great information, Stephen! This video should spark a great conversation on the topic. I'm glad to hear that your conclusions are consistent with what I've been saying, which is refractometers are effective at approximating sugar content, but not nutrient content. Thanks!
When I set out to write this episode I let the evidence guide the conclusion. We must follow evidence !
***** I still say until you add that 4th bed with Rock Dust & Bio Char. Your results are still missing the magic that mother nature puts into the soil to make it really work. My yard is too small to do the 4 test beds. I need the room to grow food for every day use. But, I am trying to get some land. And if I do, I will do everything I can to help add data to your testing. You keep me thinking and that is a good thing. Thanks
Tim we would love to have you participate my friend !
It would be interesting to see what happens with both !
We are deciding the soil lab results and its defiently interesting.
***** Can't wait till you put those out. I am not a fan of labs myself. But, am always interested in feedback of any kind.
Its just another bit of evidence you can use to see if you do or do not want to apply these things to your garden. Im just trying to give you the evidence you need to make an informed decision ;)
Very informative video ***** and I learnt a lot, was very enjoyable watching this high quality and well thought out edition of the home field trials. Great work you and Patrick!
Thank you very much Huw! I thought you might like this one!
Does a Brix Meter Really Measure Nutrient Density? Does a higher reading really mean my food is healthier for me? Find out the answers to the questions you asked us in the last few Home Garden Field Trials Episodes and more.
#organic #organicgardening #brixmeter #nutrientdensity #healthyfood #healthy
ruclips.net/video/YO4L_jSxsAc/видео.html
Excellent video Stephen.
I saw one other--I think you shared a Brix Meter Test.
I thought that just doing vegetable skins vs. the flesh.
Separate the vegetable--as towards what we might be throwing away.
Or, the freshest vegetable aroma--lost.
A collection of vegetable skins--pressed to exact some juice--and measure that.
Over-all does age lessen the value--per the aroma level of plants.
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Or, where exactly is the loss happening. At the outside or the middle?
Look forward to the next video
You all realize that this is not just a little gardening topic. If consumers had easy access to clear information on food quality they would definitely pay more for quality. Right now organic is much more expensive and lower aesthetic. Maybe similar nutrients. Local market gardens and greenhouses could use this information in marketing if significant numbers could be promoted. All about industrial agriculture and climate change.
I am stoned af and this is the best shit ever
Thanks, Stephen. You pretty much verified what I thought about this. Nice to know a bit more details. I appreciate your mentioning why store bought produce varies from a fresh garden ripened item. This I also already knew but some don't and they won't believe me. I'll be referring them to your video.
Fantastic! I am glad I could help you out!!
Your videos get better with every episode. Thanks!
Thank you High Desert Garden i am having fun learning how to make them!
Excellent video! I'm looking forward to seeing your follow-up episodes on this subject. There are so many variables to consider when growing food for maximum nutrition. Another fascinating subject is the interaction between nutrients and how that affects bioavailibility and absorbtion by the body. For example, eating citrus fruits containing vitamin C helps the body absorb more iron from cereal. But that's subject matter for the start of another channel. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
Another good one is over consuming calcium actuarially blocks its own absorption. your right we are now venturing into the Nutritionists areas of which there are plenty of people more adept to handle that then I am
Very interesting, Stephen! Just boils down to one thing....Grow it yourself providing as much nutrients as you can, and you will have the very best produce you can eat! "If you don't grow it, you don't know it"!
Thats a good slogan ! I agree ;)
I was reading a book where a willow sprig (5lbs) was covered at the truck and only watered. They noticed the size after 5 years (164lbs) and determined that the stomata/pores were responsible for the needed minerals including water. They then measured the soil and determined that only 2 ounces were used during the 5 years. The soil was 200lbs at the start. The scientist was Jan Baptista van Helmont, a 17th-century Flemish physician. Stomata/ www.britannica.com/science/stomate
Hope this helped someone.
Im purple hazed af and this is what i twice reacted on garden videos
Interesting stuff this.
I`ve got a refractometer and I use it quite often, -especially on the offspring of my crossings. However, I find it difficult to get a reasonable result when measuring the brix value in different plants of the same variety. As an example I can take a cherry tomato named Rose Quartz Multiflora. By planting several plants in the same soil and light conditions, they should have been more similar in the brix values, -but they vary alot from plant to plant. So, I think I`m going to use clones planted in different places and conditions when doing surveys of their characteristics in the future. I think this would bring me a more polite result.
Keep up the good work my friend.
All the best,
Halvor.
Halvor i would love to see that experiment ! I don't have one hence the +oneyardrevolution clips :) it would be very neat to see it consistent reproducible results are an issue !
*****
I haven`t planned to much what to do next year. However this could been a cool experiment for those who want to try it. Wonder if anyone will get the same confusing and uneven results as I did. :)
you know I bet they would OneYardRevolution what do you think?
Good points to bring up. I knew about the store bought produce, which is why I cannot bring myself to purchase a tomato anymore. I have learned to wait for my own. I am looking forward to the lab test results. Thanks for doing this.
My pleasure ! I look forward to the lab results as well !
hey, I thought of something that could be looked at: Have you ever thought that Brands of medium as being a variable should also be considered?
Also, i dont know if you have heard about the work of Paul Stamets but i thought that the presence of certain fungi should definitely be considered as well as their relationships with other plants.
This is great work man!
I will take a look into it my friend. thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you so much for doing this video! It answered so many of my questions. I've only been able to use my taste buds as an indicator of nutrient density. I want to use rock dust to increase the mineral content of my food, but only if it actually does what it says it will do. I'm growing a BTE garden for my first year garden and I've added the compost, leaves ,manure,and wood chips , but my soil was only land fill to begin with over heavy clay, so I have a long way to go--but my garden was very successful,but I want as high nutrition as I can get. Thanks again. Looking forward to the next video!
My friend your going about it in all the right ways. Plants need what plants can give with the exception of a few things we need from other sources. Definitely stick around I hope the results will help you make decision!
Great video. I liked how you explained why most grocery store produces have a lower brix reading than "truly" ripe produces from your garden-So true. Touching on that point a bit further, have you ever tested the same plant throughout it's growth cycle? For example, greens vs. baby greens? I tested my kale and found that baby kale had a brix reading of only 3, but mature kale had a reading of 6... and because of that I stopped eating baby greens(unless I am thinning out an over-planted area) I can't wait to see more brix testing and the different ways folks use their refractometers. Keep up the good work!
I am glad you enjoyed the video. My garden is done for the year so I'll be leaving this to one yard revolution to do some more work on the brix meter.
***** Sounds good, I'm following Patrick too. I had a blast following your channel this year. Enjoy your off-season!
Offseason? I grow 12 months a year. Just most of it is inside lol
Add teaspoons of salt to a glass of water, and watch BRIX rise. Does that mean salt consists only of sugar?
I think, that we first have to understand when growing plants, that not only the soil structure but the mineral content in the soil must be balanced for growing nutrient dense foods. This does not happen by placing all sort of goodies onto the soil ...Dr. William Albrecht established the 68% Ca, 12% Mg, about 4% K ratios etc... in the 1950s and others have been improving on them ever since. By building the soil to the right sweet-spot - Your plants become more insect and disease resistant and the minerals uptake isn't locked up ( hence nutrient dense). Another way to check this progress, is by brixing, Your higher readings will also correlate with getting soil test balanced just right --- and some people can get green vegetables up to brix 20 high.This 'balancing' can take many many years to master. Check out Dan Kittredge..a very smart cookie.
.Here are some of the effects of an excess a mineral. Its not just a matter of getting the PH right. if all mineral are balanced in the soil the PH is always spot on. As I understand it , is that calcium/ lime is the most important mineral in the soil for plants. Depriving plants from lime because the ph is right, ..... ?
Mulder's chart in backtobasics | dcberry69-plantandsoilnutrition
- Some Effects of Excess Mineral:
To much Nitrogen can cause Potassium deficiency;
excess Calcium can cause deficiency in trace elements,
excess Phosphorus can cause Potassium, Zinc, Calcium or Iron deficiency;
excess potassium can cause Magnesium, Calcium deficiency,
excess sodium can cause Calcium deficiency,
excess Magnesium can cause Calcium deficiency...
While I agree with the focus on a healthy soil and it resulting in healthier more stress resistant plants Im not sure the Brix Meter is the right tool for the job. There are very few peer reviewed studies on a correlation between higher sugar and protein content and the trace minerals associated with nutrient density. There are other tests that have the potential to reveal more of whats going on and I have submitted samples for analysis. There are some papers that the community has brought forward indicating the cultivar is as important as the soil characteristics in determining the nutrient uptake in the produce.
Part of the the Home Garden field trials is to test the claims of the products. While I agree if these minerals are to become an influencing factor some may take time to break down the primary claim made by rock dust is apply it and you will see immediate results. With the information presented in the trials to date Im not sure we can support the immediate effects of mineral supplements such as rock dust.
Ill have to take a look at your reference material in awhile and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. Results based gardening is only as good as the tests people put to it!
Have a good day my friend!
Great information. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure my friend !
I think we all just need a home mineral tester, if such existed for a low price :)
Kyle unless you have a few hundred thousand laying around it's going to be tough. I'm not totally convinced we need one either !
God gave you all of the ability that you need for this. Just need to redevelop it. Spend the winter really tasting that produce you grew in the different beds. Your great-great grandfather didn't need some stupid man made meter to tell him when something was right. He could tell just by tasting it, and if he wasn't sure. I'll bet that your great-great grandmother knew for sure. If I try a new soil mix, I take tomato cuttings and let the plant tell me if it is a good mix long before the start of the next season. I guess labs have there place, but I like doing the testing myself. I guess I am a bit of a plant geek in that way.
Tim Robinson after all we are all in this for our own enjoyment! If you feel the results are better then thats what matters. I just hope to provide evidence so people can make their own decisions ;)
Well done my friend! Brix meter only calculate sugar content, which in my opinion is not the best test, for our health! When a fruit is left on the plant to ripen, sure it's going to taste sweeter but all the minerals, that are so good for us, will have time to get there! Sometimes I get so frustrated not being able to explain all of this...when a pepper, tomato, etc has been ship from far away, unripened, there is no way you can get all the nutrient that you would from one in your own garden! Worst part is, they take those to test if they are better than ''conventional''!
It is fairly frustrating. I just read a paper OneYardRevolution sent me on the cultivars being used and how they are beginning to decline in their nutrient quantities when compared to varieties in the 1950s. This is likely due to them being grown faster shipper longer and producing more.
Im beginning to become a bit of a food security advocate!
I've been a food security advocate for quite a while! Not always a great place to be with friends and family but I think it's the most important place to be for future generations!
I completely agree ;)