Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content?

$Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content? - Assorted Food To Avoid for Diabetics$

I heard that to measure a banana's ripeness I would have to compare its sugar to starch ratio, but what would be the best method of doing that? I am not sure if refractometers measure starch as well, since it is a type of carbohydrate.

Best Answer

Iodine can be used reliably to measure starch content in bananas and it is correlated with sugar (soluble solids).

Summary. A starch staining technique using pictures to rate starch disappearance has been developed to determine banana pulp maturity. The disappearance of starch from the pulp shows linear correlation with peel color (r = 0.76) and soluble solids content (r = 0.81). Pulp pH shows a poor correlation with starch disappearance (r = 0.38). Staining banana pulp starch with an iodine solution is a quick and easy method for estimation of pulp maturity.

http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/3/3/338.full.pdf

Pictures about "Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content?"

$Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content? - Blood Sugar Meter and Medication on the Blue Background$

$Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content? - White and Red Candy Cane on Pink and White Heart Shaped Paper$

$Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content? - Blood Sugar Meter and Sweets on the Blue Background$

Quick Answer about "Can refractometers measure a banana's glucose content?"

You can use a refractometer to measure sugar content in upripe and ripe bananas and evaluate how important the formation of sugars is in the ripening process.

Can refractometer measure sugar content?

Brix refractometers are a common instrument used to measure the sugar content of a solution. Increasing sugar content leads to an increase in the refractive index. By passing light through a sample and measuring the refraction, the amount that the light bends, the sugar content can be measured.

How does a handheld refractometer measure sugar concentration?

Using a scientific instrument called a hydrometer, you can find out by precisely measuring the sugar content.

Can you measure sugar content?

A type of microscope called refractometer is the device used for measuring degrees Brix in preserved fruit. This precision instrument measures the refraction of light in the fruit juice, in such a way that the greater the sugar content, the higher the refraction angle is.

Refractometer (Measuring Banana Brix Value)

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Nataliya Vaitkevich, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Nataliya Vaitkevich