Atago® Master-53M Series Refractometer

Features a streamlined body with a comfortable carbon fiber texture grip. All models are field calibratable. "T" models include automatic temperature compensation (ATC). Sample temperature range: 10° to 30°C. (Master 3 and 4 series: 10° to 40°C). Alpha models feature ATC and are IP-65 rated for water resistance.

Used in the food industry to monitor the concentration of dissolved solids in aqueous (water) solutions. Popular applications include: condensed skim milk, whey, brines, soft drinks, juices, and coolants such as glycol. 

Here's how one works: Simply place a drop of the solution on the prism, lower the cover and look through the eyepiece. Solids will be indicated by a distinct line across an illuminated scale. Scales are often graduated in Brix (percent of dissolved glucose). Although this scale does not directly indicate the percent dissolved solids by weight of the product being measured, the result does give the relative concentration of dissolved solids compared to other similar solutions.