nurseryman have many tools at their electric pig for measuring the quality of their produce , includingsoil teststhat measurepH levelsand nutrient cognitive content . Measuring Brix levels is another simple way to get information about the nutrient density of crops .
Brix Explained
To test Brix levels , you use an inexpensive hired man - hold tool call a refractometer ( pictured above ) to send out a shaft of light of light through the juice from fruits , vegetables or their leaves . The amount of refraction ( i.e. , how much the light bends ) tells you the proportion of water to unthaw solidness , such as fructose and other sugars , proteins , and mineral inside . refractometer can be buy through retail merchant that sell rest home - brewing equipment and ambit in price from $ 16 to $ 250 , though a standard refractometer is fairly inexpensive , at $ 30 .
The results from the refractometer are compared toBrix chartsto find out the crop ’s valuation ( hapless , average , good , first-class ) . optimum Brix story , measured as ° Bx , vary from one crop to another . For example , asparagus is considered excellent with a Brix level of 8 , but the Brix level must extend to 22 for a Ananas comosus to have an splendid evaluation . A high Brix floor show that the crop has higher sugar , mineral and protein content . In other words , the high the Brix level , the better the produce tastes .
“ Plants that are low Brix are mostly water , ” explains Carl Pless Jr. , an agricultural extension agentive role with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Concord , N.C.
German pill pusher Adolf Ferdinand Wenceslaus Brix pioneered the concept of measuring Brix degree in the 1800s . Although the concept has been around for C and is popular in winemaking andbrewing beer , Pless state it ’s “ absolutely not ” common for Fannie Merritt Farmer to measure their Brix floor .
“ A caboodle of the foods mass are rust are on the low side of Brix , with value less than what would be considered inadequate , ” he say . “ You do n’t regain much [ food ] in the first-class category . ”
The grandness of appraise Brix extends beyond test for harvest readiness , better taste and increase nutrient density . According to Pless , high Brix level also improve craw issue and subdue hurt from insects and diseases . He liken farmers crop to amend Brix recitation to companies providing fair salary and expert benefits to their doer .
“ You need to take care of [ the plants and the dirt ] to get good output , ” he observe
Testing Crops’ Brix Levels
Using a refractometer to obtain a Brix version is a simple process that can be done in the subject field . TheBionutrient Food Associationoffers these step for using a refractometer to assess ° Bx :
Put Your Knowledge to Action
Once you know your Brix story , you’re able to “ do the work to get your plant performing to their goop , ” explains Jana D. Bogs , MS , PhD , farm adviser and generator ofBeyond Organic : Growing for Maximum Nutrition(Dr . Jana Bogs , 2013 ) . “ It ’s a nice monitoring tool in the field . ”
But quantify ° Bx is just part of an overall plan of attack to better - tasting , more nutrient - dense fruits and vegetables . In fact , Bogs call the recital , “ helpful but not very specific . ”
It ’s essential to have an precise picture of the factors influencing the reading , which have in mind farmers must also screen their soil for nutrients like atomic number 7 , calcium , phosphates and other trace minerals to determine what is impacting their Brix levels .
In improver to adjust alimentary dissymmetry in the grime to ameliorate ° Bx , sodbuster must also empathise the impact of modern agriculture on optimum Brix levels .
“ The charts are erstwhile and can be misleading , ” Bogs excuse . “ Plants have been breed to put out a lot more sugar . What look like a enceinte reading [ when the charts were evolve ] might not be precise now . ”
In fact , an first-class Brix reading now may mean that a plant has more pelf but is not inevitably more nutrient dense , according to Bogs .
Despite a few limitations , testing Brix level remains a unsubdivided and inexpensive way to tax harvesting preparedness , taste and nutrient compactness — and ascertain whether changes to grime health are necessary to produce healthier , better - tasting crop .
