Patent ID: 6548303
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: G01N,G01R,Y10T

Abstract:
A system for rapidly and accurately determining the fat and oil content of moisture-containing samples, the apparatus comprising:a pliable sample pad for receiving a sample containing fat and oil that is substantially transparent to microwave radiation and is free of atoms that would provide a chemical shift that would interfere with or mask the chemical shift of the protons in the fats and oils in the sample; a source of microwave radiation for drying the sample; a cavity in wave communication with said source of microwave radiation for receiving the sample and said sample pad; a balance with at least its pan in said cavity for weighing the sample and said sample pad; a proton pulse NMR analyzer for receiving said pliable sample pad with the sample and for determining the proton pulse NMR relaxation of the sample and said sample pad; and a processor in communication with said balance and said NMR analyzer for collecting data from said balance and from said NMR analyzer and for calculating the moisture content and the fat and oil content of the sample on said sample pad.