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the "chilli tester" gadget
- Thread starter Aussie
- Start date
Aussie said:
I don't know if something has changed since August when an associate of mine was going to get one of these devices on loan for a 2 week evaluation, but we were told $15-20 each for the electrodes. That is a huge difference, if you are correct I am going to be kicking myself for not pulling the trigger on it.
Maybe the electrodes are super cheap and she was just trying to milk us for cash since we were "borrowing" the device?
I also sent her two samples, one which had previously been tested via HPLC and another that had not been HPLC tested, but was a known SHU range. The accuracy seemed to be there, but without having hands on the device myself, I have no way of knowing whether or not the readings I was given were true. I have to trust Kim as a scientist and assume she reported truthful data. The results she gave me were definitely in that +/- 10% of HPLC.
Nigel said:
Its all economics i guess, unless you are using 10s of gallons of a particular solvent it probably just dosent make sense.... both from a cost and from a time standpoint.
im assuming you can do small volumes of solvent with conventional glassware... but you are going to be paying someone with a BS degree to spend an hour or so to strip and save like 15 bucks worth of cyclohexane or w/e.
The latest email from Biox about the Chilli Tester is below (6/3/2015). I asked for a loaner to test out of curiousity.
----------------------
[SIZE=medium]Dear Tom Johnson [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I am writing to enquire if you receive news of the launch of the Chilli Tester?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]A special price of FOB Singapore US$2,500 will be offered for PO received within June, and delivery will be made third quarter of this year.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Please let me know if you need further information.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Thank You![/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]-- [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Best Regards,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Y. Kim[/SIZE] (Ms)
[SIZE=medium]Bio-X (S) Pte. Ltd.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=7.5pt]44 Marine Crescent 03-12
Singapore 440044
Contact +65 6241 3494[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]www.biox.com.sg[/SIZE]
----------------------
[SIZE=medium]Dear Tom Johnson [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]I am writing to enquire if you receive news of the launch of the Chilli Tester?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]A special price of FOB Singapore US$2,500 will be offered for PO received within June, and delivery will be made third quarter of this year.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Please let me know if you need further information.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Thank You![/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]-- [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Best Regards,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]Y. Kim[/SIZE] (Ms)
[SIZE=medium]Bio-X (S) Pte. Ltd.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=7.5pt]44 Marine Crescent 03-12
Singapore 440044
Contact +65 6241 3494[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium]www.biox.com.sg[/SIZE]
CAPCOM said:
That is a good point CAPCOM...so I finally introduced myself after lurking in the shadows for months here: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/55003-hello/
Thanks for welcoming me. It's an awesome place to hangout.
I was interested in this chili tester since that is my job. Right now I use an HPLC, and was interested in what I thought could be the next big thing. After reading the procedure that is required, it is no better than the current method, except in mobility. The real issue with testing heat in peppers is in the extraction time and technique hours before it goes to any instrument. The actual time it takes in the instrument is only 10-20 minutes (HPLC). If you have an extract or something that dissolves quickly in ethanol, then you can use this Chinese chile tester almost immediately. Typical powders or purees take hours to extract the capsacinoids with the common and affordable methods before they can be tested.
salsalady
Business Member
very interesting info, thanks for posting, 1tom~, and 
to THP.
What concerns me is the +/-10% accuracy. Maybe I'm not looking at it right, but that could be a 20% difference in results if one test is +10% and another is -10%.
That's way too big of a margin of error to use the results for any type of guaranteed results. Ive had all lot of different SHU Pure Evils tested. I need very accurate and repeatable results. For a "ballpark" figure of (how hot is this new hybrid chile) or similar, I can see the benefit of a cost effective hand held device. But I wouldn't rely on it's results if using it for something where SHUs are part of the product claim or if going for a Guinness record or something.
I just went back and looked at the SHU reports for 3 products sent in to Southwest Biolabs. From the preliminary results to the final averaged results (2 tests avaraged) the difference was about 1% on 3 products. Since all the results were over the intended SHU for each product, I'm comfortable with using that information for advertizing, etc.
to THP.What concerns me is the +/-10% accuracy. Maybe I'm not looking at it right, but that could be a 20% difference in results if one test is +10% and another is -10%.
That's way too big of a margin of error to use the results for any type of guaranteed results. Ive had all lot of different SHU Pure Evils tested. I need very accurate and repeatable results. For a "ballpark" figure of (how hot is this new hybrid chile) or similar, I can see the benefit of a cost effective hand held device. But I wouldn't rely on it's results if using it for something where SHUs are part of the product claim or if going for a Guinness record or something.
I just went back and looked at the SHU reports for 3 products sent in to Southwest Biolabs. From the preliminary results to the final averaged results (2 tests avaraged) the difference was about 1% on 3 products. Since all the results were over the intended SHU for each product, I'm comfortable with using that information for advertizing, etc.
salsalady said:very interesting info, thanks for posting, 1tom~, and
What concerns me is the +/-10% accuracy. Maybe I'm not looking at it right, but that could be a 20% difference in results if one test is +10% and another is -10%.That's way too big of a margin of error to use the results for any type of guaranteed results. Ive had all lot of different SHU Pure Evils tested. I need very accurate and repeatable results. For a "ballpark" figure of (how hot is this new hybrid chile) or similar, I can see the benefit of a cost effective hand held device. But I wouldn't rely on it's results if using it for something where SHUs are part of the product claim or if going for a Guinness record or something.
I just went back and looked at the SHU reports for 3 products sent in to Southwest Biolabs. From the preliminary results to the final averaged results (2 tests avaraged) the difference was about 1% on 3 products. Since all the results were over the intended SHU for each product, I'm comfortable with using that information for advertizing, etc.
Thanks for the welcome! We know there is a lot of variability already in each batch or chiles and within each pod itself (maybe +/-10%), so you are right that we don't want more error than that in the instrument we test with!
Salsalady, I'm glad to see you have been a customer at Southwest Biolabs. That is were I work and the previous HPLC tech Mike has a new job with a local Chile company, so I am the lucky one running it now. You are right that within the same type of samples less than +/-1% is common.
If you have any work related questions, please feel free to contact me: tjohnson@swbiolabs.com
But there's an easy way to negate some of that in-accuracy .. Just do a 5 test batch and average the tests .. Should take down the inaccuracy 'in theory' to less than 5%
I know you could say you might get 5 tests all - or + 10% from the true reading and be inaccurate by 10% but that would be a worse case scenario
I know you could say you might get 5 tests all - or + 10% from the true reading and be inaccurate by 10% but that would be a worse case scenario
salsalady
Business Member
That's cool! I was wondering if it might be SW. Mike was the tech who did the last run of tests on 3 different products. I'm making a note of this thread in case I need to contact you.1tom2go said:
Would you mind answering a couple questions about HPLC testing in general here regarding the accuracy and legitimacy of HPLC testing of chiles and sauces?
salsalady said:That's cool! I was wondering if it might be SW. Mike was the tech who did the last run of tests on 3 different products. I'm making a note of this thread in case I need to contact you.
Would you mind answering a couple questions about HPLC testing in general here regarding the accuracy and legitimacy of HPLC testing of chiles and sauces?
Let's start a new thread about HPLC testing where we can discuss it. I'm not sure what section, maybe Hot talk? What should we call it? I can start the thread unless you would like to.
salsalady
Business Member
"HPLC testing explained" ? Hot Sauce Making seems like a good section to put it under. It gets more traffic than the Biz section and there are a lot of growers and hobby sauce makers who will have interest in this topic. Thanks for your willingness to share. Since you are the expert, I'll let you start it.
It would be great if you could do an overview in layman's terms of the history, procedure, uses, why it actually is accurate, etc...and then I'll post a couple things that people have posted to me regarding disbelief that it works and things. Maybe you can shed some light on what they claim.
It would be great if you could do an overview in layman's terms of the history, procedure, uses, why it actually is accurate, etc...and then I'll post a couple things that people have posted to me regarding disbelief that it works and things. Maybe you can shed some light on what they claim.