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The Babcock Test

ProSource Scientific can supply you with all of the required equipment to set up, run and maintain a complete Babcock system to measure the butter fat percentage in your dairy products.

The glassware contained in this section of the catalog is designed around a single test procedure - The Babcock test. The variations on this test make the large variety of bottles and pipets necessary.

The body of the test bottles is a reaction vessel, while the graduated neck is a measuring device. The graduations read in direct percentage of butterfat of the sample accurately introduced by a pipet in the case of liquids or measured weight of solid dairy product. The volume of the body does not enter into the calculations.

The resultant fat column in the neck of the bottle may be read in either of two ways. All Babcock tests involve centrifugation.

1. Read the menisci of both top and bottom of the column and subtract the lower from the upper to give percent butter fat, or
2. Using a pair of dividers, measure the fat column, then realign to "0" position using the blasting ring as an aid, and read percent butter fat directly off the scale. 

Babcock Test Requirements

(Click on these catagories at the left to explore)

1. Babcock and Paley bottles

These specialized bottles are used to measure the percentage of butter fat in your samples. Each bottle consists of a reaction chamber, where your samples is mixed with acid, and a graduated neck, where the measurements are read.

Babcock bottles are used for measuring liquids and small samples.

Paley bottles feature a large opening on the side of the body to easily accommodate larger of viscous samples.

2. Pipets

Specialized pipets are calibrated to meet APHA and ASTM requirements for making milk dilutions. A special rubber washer is supplied with each pipet with grooves on the outer surface of the washer allow the air displaced by the incoming milk to escape freely.

3. Chemicals

Sulfuric acid specially formulated for use in Babcock testing and precision cleaners for difficult residues found on equipment used in the dairy laboratory.

4. Variable Speed Orbital Shaker

With their unique and exclusive orbital action and their extremely low center of gravity which assures minimum vibration, these test bottle shakers give you complete integration of a full test load in 30 to 45 seconds without forcing the mixture into the bottle necks.

5. Centrifuge

These centrifuges are specifically designed for Babcock testing with many features and for many different bottle capacities in a durable aluminum housing.