Radiofrequency Absorbance as a Novel Concentration Indicator in Sucrose Aqueous Solutions

• Published in: Ingeniería e investigación Vol. 43; no. 1; p. e94695
• Main Authors: Coronel-Gaviro, Javier, Yagüe-Jiménez, Virginia, Blanco-Murillo, José Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bogota Universidad Nacional de Colombia 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Absorbance; absorbance spectra; Aqueous solutions; Field study; Field tests; Food; Frequency ranges; Industrial applications; Monitoring; Nondestructive testing; Portable equipment; Radio frequency; radiofrequency; software defined radio; Statistical tests; Sucrose; Test procedures
• ISSN: 0120-5609; 2248-8723
• DOI: 10.15446/ing.investig.94695

Microwave-based methods have been used for years to monitor processes, tests, and substance mixtures. Solutions must preserve sample integrity and avoid time-consuming procedures to scale inline industrial applications and promote on-field tests. Today, testing procedures use portable, cost-effective devices operating on wide frequency ranges to perform low-power, wide-band microwave dielectric spectroscopy. This paper describes a proof of concept using SDR technology to match all these requirements. A prototype was tested for measuring sucrose-in-water solutions at different concentrations, which resulted in a novel concentration indicator based on radiofrequency absorbance. This application is critical for in-line monitoring and on-field testing in the food and beverage industries. The proposed method delivered robust, replicable, and reliable results. High levels of significance (> 99%) were achieved in statistical tests in the frequency range of 4 125 to 4 410 MHz. The indicator was shown to be sensitive to concentrations below those reported in the literature and could be easily integrated into non-destructive early chemical evaluation for food quality and production monitoring or into on-field testing devices, to name some applications.