Fat Determination in Food: the Soxhlet Principle

The current general standard for fat determination in food is GB/T 5009.6-2016, National Food Safety Standard — Determination of Fat in Foods. It specifies the Soxhlet extraction method, whose principle is that fat dissolves readily in organic solvents: the sample is extracted directly with a solvent such as anhydrous ethanol or petroleum ether, the solvent is evaporated off, and the residue is dried to give the free-fat content. The method applies to the determination of free fat in fruits, vegetables and their products, grains and grain products, meat and meat products, eggs and egg products, aquatic products, baked goods and confectionery.

Sonnen's filter-bag fat determinator — the G350 fully automated model — is designed on the national-standard Soxhlet extraction principle combined with ultra-fine filter-bag technology. Under microcomputer control, the instrument manages the temperature, pressure and progress of the sample extraction process, and completes the automatic processing of up to 15 samples per batch — extraction is rapid and thorough. At high fat content the extraction advantage is clear, and working efficiency improves greatly.

The instrument is suited to fat determination in the food, oilseed and feed industries, and equally to the extraction or determination of soluble compounds across agriculture, environmental and industrial fields.