Automation in food analysis

wound in a double helix. Fluid transfer power is supplied by compressed air, whilst the valving system is exposed solely to "clean" fluids air and methylene chloride. Use of an appropriate phase separator permits other water/solvent combinations to be used. Massie 15] has developed a multi-channel, continuous flow instrument for use in water testing laboratories. This instrument is capable of running six tests simultaneously, many of the tests in the part-per-billion range. The automatic sampler has a special feature so that it can accommodate samples with different matrices, such as acid digested samples for a TKN determination. The programmer is capable of interfacing with two samplers; therefore, four different sample matrices can be handled at one time. Conetta [16] presented a technique whereby total phosphate in water samples may be determined by a photochemi-cal decomposition of organic phosphorus compounds and the thermal hydrolysis of acid-hydrolysable phosphates followed by the conventional colorimetric determination of the liberated ortho-phosphate with molybdenum blue. Analy-tica! performance data were presented and discussed. Further details of these papers can be obtained by corresponding with the primary authors. Many of these have indicated that they will be submitting their manuscripts to this Journal for formal publication. REFERENCES [1] A continuous in-process surface tension measuring device. [2] Automation in monitoring gases and particulates in the pulp and paper industry. [3] Continuous analysis of oxygen in coke oven gas. [4]Automated instrumentation for chemical analyses in process control. [6] Non-specific methods of analysis: the unsung heroes of the process control world. [8] Simplex optimisation applied to flow injection analysis. [9] Applications of a new, automated solution handling system utilising flow injection methodology. [12] Use of an exponential dilution chamber as a means of scale expansion in flow injection analysis (FIA). [14]A novel, automated liquid extraction technique for aqueous pesticides samples. 15] A new continuous-flow, highly sensitive, six channel water analyser. [16] An automated method for the measurement of total phosphate by UV digestion. A joint meeting on the above topic, organised by the Automatic Methods Group and South East Region of the Analytical Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, was held in Leatherhead, Surrey on 12 December 1980. In the morning session Dr Folkes [1] discussed the applications of HPLC in the analysis of foodstuffs; he particularly emphasised the contribution of automation both during the development of analytical procedures and subsequently during their routine use. The second paper was …