Automatic fruit analyzer

Abstract

A fruit analyzer for testing fruit and fruit juice samples to automatically obtain test data relating thereto and for using the test data so obtained to compute and print out characteristic parameters indicating the nature and quality of the fruit tested, including per cent acid and soluble solids content. A computer controlled testing unit has a suspended plummet soluble solids testing means including plummet weight and temperature transducers as well as an acid testing means including liquid weight and PH transducers for automatic titration of the contents thereof. A network of valved conduits deliver and drain juice, rinse solution, and cleaning solution at the appropriate time into and from the soluble solids and acid testing means. A separate network of valved conduits is provided to deliver alkali at the appropriate time to the acid testing means. The computer is caused by an operating sequence to read the weight of the plummet in air, load juice samples into the soluble solids testing means and the acid testing means, read the juice temperature and weight of the plummet in the sample juice in the soluble solids testing means, and then read the weight of juice in the acid testing means, titrate the juice in the acid testing means to a selected PH level, read the weight of the titrated juice and then compute the desired characteristic parameters indicating the nature and quality of the samples tested. The desired characteristic parameters are then printed and the testing unit is caused to go through a rinsing cycle.