DISTELL Torrymeter, User Manual

Page 1: ...USER MANUAL DISTELL FISH FRESHNESS METER Model Torrymeter DISTELL Com December 2010 Version 2 8 for use with v1 firmware ...

Page 2: ...distell ing pres part verb 1 to distell 2 to rapidly analyse fat content of food products using microwave technology ...

Page 3: ...oduct menu 12 Research menu 13 Samples menu 13 Download menu 13 Add Product option 14 Date Time menu 14 Usage recommendations 15 Using the meter in quality control 15 Sampling 15 Freshness Meter performance 15 The relationship between meter readings and other measures of freshness 15 Effects of handling and processing 17 Effects of freezing and brining 17 Meter care and service 18 Cleaning and gen...

Page 4: ...h boxed 33 Redfish normal handling 34 Herring 5 fat boxed unhandled 35 Herring 10 fat boxed unhandled 36 Herring 15 fat boxed unhandled 37 Herring 20 fat boxed unhandled 38 Herring 25 fat boxed unhandled 39 Herring 30 fat boxed unhandled 40 Mackerel 8 fat boxed unhandled 41 Mackerel 13 fat boxed unhandled 42 Salmon normal handling 43 Blue whiting boxed 44 Blue whiting normal handling 45 Chisawasaw...

Page 5: ...for measuring freshness that do not depend on the subjective opinion of human judges Several chemical procedures are in use for this purpose but all suffer from common disadvantages in respect to quality control within the industrial environment in that they are somewhat slow to carry out whereas quality controllers and inspectors usually require an immediate answer The analysis requires laborator...

Page 6: ...1 to 18 scales The internal range is accessed using the RESEARCH 1 calibration which offers a range of 0 1 to above 99 9 By taking a second set of readings using this higher resolution you will be able to obtain a set of meaningfully differentiated readings over the narrow range of the 12 8 example above Having obtained a reference dataset of such readings over the period from fresh to putrid you ...

Page 7: ... range 0 18 The phase angle and hence the meter reading decreases with spoilage The current passed through the fish is approximately 1 milliamp and so cannot harm the operator or affect the fish Between the measuring electrodes are two auxiliary electrodes These electrodes in conjunction with one of the carbon electrodes sense whether there is proper contact with the fish The fish sensing device p...

Page 8: ...atteries Sensor The sensor has two outer carbon electrodes for measuring freshness and two inner metal electrodes for sensing contact with the skin of the fish It is a good idea to wipe the sensor clean between readings since it is easy for fish scales to stick to the sensor and affect readings Read Button Yes Press and hold this button to take a reading Press to answer Yes to any Yes No question ...

Page 9: ... illuminate when charger power supply is switched on The battery pack should be fully charged after a period of 12 hours When charging is complete first disconnect the charger from the mains and then from the meter The power supply charger can also be used to power the meter during use while also charging the internal batteries at a reduced rate Charging the Meter Notes on charging the Meter Inser...

Page 10: ...ble for this fish species 4 Select the fish samples at random from the batch Where you are taking fish samples from a varied batch the samples should be grouped according to size length weight 5 Check that temperature of the fish to be measured is between 0 and 10 C with no ice crystals present in the samples The measurement procedure is outlined as follows 1 Ensure that the sensor is placed firml...

Page 11: ...mended We have found that this gives the best balance between accuracy and speed You can change the number of readings that the meter will take before averaging by using the Samples menu option See the Menu Structure section for more details The Freshness Meter can store up to 1000 sets of readings These can be downloaded to a PC running the Data Management System See the Data Management System se...

Page 12: ...cations time after time If after these checks there is still a significant difference please contact Distell for advice and help Note that the Distell website has a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section as well as technical information on the Freshness Meter Menu Structure When the standard measurement display is shown see the example at the start of this chapter you can access the menu...

Page 13: ...at the Freshness Meter be set up for three samples per fish In both cases all the measurements should be taken at the same site on the fish You can choose between 1 and 16 samples here Note if you choose 16 samples then the individual sample values will not be reported as they are taken i e the sampling is done blind These individual readings are stored in the meter and can be seen when downloaded...

Page 14: ...M and from the Distell website Date Time menu You should check the date and time when you first receive the meter and update it if necessary Each sample that is recorded by the meter has a date and time stamp so it is recommended that the date and time be kept accurate This will then ensure that all downloads reflect the correct date and time Note that if a meter is configured as a rental meter th...

Page 15: ... assess the freshness of single fish except within rather wide limits These deviations from average behaviour tend to cancel out when the means of samples from batches are taken and the bigger the sample the better the correlation between the mean meter reading and freshness score It follows from sampling theory that the number of fish which ought to be sampled from a batch depends mainly on the d...

Page 16: ...n the set of organoleptic charts in the Organoleptic charts section These results were obtained by Torry Research Station at their laboratories in Aberdeen and Hull and at various fishing ports in the UK The sensory scores are based on the scales used at Torry Research Station and have been described in their publications These scales were interpreted as follows Perfectly fresh fish is given a sco...

Page 17: ...nto containers The pressure it is subjected to in the hold the handling during discharge and the sorting process tend to lower the meter readings when compared with fish that have been stowed carefully in boxes with ice and kept undisturbed until measured The difference is indicated in the charts in the Organoleptic charts section The meter can also be used to grade fillets For skin on fillets mak...

Page 18: ...ekeeping The Freshness Meter is a precision instrument Ensure that the unit is stored securely in transit Do not drop or otherwise misuse the equipment as this may invalidate the warranty Before calling for service If you have reason to believe that a fault has occurred please first of all check the following Is the unit switched on Has the battery pack been charged If no obvious fault is apparent...

Page 19: ... There is a comprehensive on line help facility which is available by clicking on the Help menu option Historical Data Download This function enables you to download readings that are stored in the Freshness Meter The data includes the date and time of the sample the calibration setting that was used the number and values of the individual samples taken and the average value of the samples To illu...

Page 20: ...ata to build up in the meter up to the maximum 1000 readings If you wish to clear the data from the meter at a later stage then you can go through the download process but without connecting the meter to the PC then reply Yes to the Erase question When the data has been successfully downloaded it will appear in the DMS in a spreadsheet grid form With the data in the DMS you can now Print the data ...

Page 21: ...he Delete column option of the Edit menu DMS data files Like most applications the DMS can save data to a file on disk and load it back in again Data is stored in a proprietary format in files with a FMD extension The Open and Save options under the File menu are used to load and save these data files Printing data The DMS can print a report of the data for audit purposes The Print option is under...

Page 22: ... This is not meant to be an exhaustive list and users of the Fish Freshness Meter are encouraged to create their own organoleptic charts to cover the different species and handling storage methods that are of interest This user manual is included on the CD ROM that is part of the Freshness Meter Kit You may wish to print out individual charts for your convenience ...

Page 23: ...lavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 5 6 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 8 9 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 8 14 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bitter...

Page 24: ...istic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 12 5 6 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 8 9 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 7 14 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness a...

Page 25: ...nd characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 5 6 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 8 9 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 9 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 7 14 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours s...

Page 26: ... characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 3 5 6 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 2 8 9 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 1 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 14 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sournes...

Page 27: ... odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 8 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some of...

Page 28: ...neutral odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 12 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 8 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 7 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 3 4 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odou...

Page 29: ...ristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 9 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 10 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bit...

Page 30: ...haracteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 12 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 8 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 7 9 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 6 10 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness...

Page 31: ...stic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 11 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 10 11 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and ...

Page 32: ...haracteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 12 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 7 8 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sour...

Page 33: ...stic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 5 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 12 8 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 11 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 10 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bit...

Page 34: ...aracteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 12 5 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 8 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 10 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 7 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sournes...

Page 35: ...ours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 9 6 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 8 8 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flav...

Page 36: ...dours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 5 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off fl...

Page 37: ...odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 5 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off f...

Page 38: ...odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 5 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off f...

Page 39: ...odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 5 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off f...

Page 40: ...dours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 6 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off fl...

Page 41: ...odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 3 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 4 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 5 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 6 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off f...

Page 42: ... odours Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 2 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 3 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 5 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off ...

Page 43: ...ic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 10 5 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 9 8 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 7 14 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bitterne...

Page 44: ...t and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 3 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 5 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 7 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 6 9 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sour...

Page 45: ...urs Sweet and characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 3 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 4 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 6 6 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavo...

Page 46: ...aracteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 9 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 12 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness a...

Page 47: ...ristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 4 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 11 7 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 10 11 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 9 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bi...

Page 48: ...racteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 13 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 12 4 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 11 8 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 10 13 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness a...

Page 49: ...racteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 8 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 11 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 9 15 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 8 19 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness a...

Page 50: ... characteristic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 12 2 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 5 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 8 7 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 6 10 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness...

Page 51: ...tic flavours but reduced in intensity 8 11 8 A Slightly musty mousy milky or caprylic garlic peppery Neutral 7 10 12 A Decrease in freshness Bread malt beer yeasty odours Insipid no flavours 6 9 17 B Lactic acid sour milk or oily odours Trace of off flavours some sourness but no bitterness 5 8 21 B Grass old boots slightly sweet fruity or chloroform like odours Some off flavours sourness and bitte...

Page 52: ...repare a new chart You can prepare a new organoleptic chart by using the Freshness Meter to measure one or two fish over a period of 1 to 2 weeks as follows Procure one or two fish from the competition water Immediately store the fish in ice and maintain at or just above 0 C Do not allow the fish to become frozen as this destroys the cellular structure The meter will display a value of 4 or less w...

Page 53: ...age 53 Contact Details The DISTELL FISH FRESHNESS METER is manufactured in the UK by DISTELL COM UNIT 5 OLD LEVENSEAT FAULDHOUSE WEST LOTHIAN EH47 9AD SCOTLAND TELEPHONE 44 0 1501 770124 FAX 44 0 1501 772424 WEBSITE www distell com EMAIL info distell com ...