APERA INSTRUMENTS / PH850-SS / AI5543

Prepared food samples.
Direct pH, without guesswork.

PH850-SS combines the PH850 Value-series meter with the LabSen 753 titanium-body spear pH/temperature electrode for wet food and semi-solid samples. It gives food-production and development teams a portable reading workflow for cheese, dough, sushi rice, fruit and suitable meat samples.

Choose this configuration when your method calls for direct contact with a prepared food portion rather than a routine water probe. The glass spear is protected, not unbreakable. Use sacrificial samples, gentle insertion and a separate written record; the meter does not store or export results.

A spear built for wet semi-solids

LabSen 753 brings the glass sensing membrane into contact with moist food rather than relying on a broad bulb intended mainly for liquids. Its titanium sheath supports careful handling. Direct measurement can avoid slurry preparation when your validated procedure permits it, but it is not automatically interchangeable with a dilution-based laboratory method.

Sealed reference, deliberate cleaning

The ceramic and open double-junction construction uses polymer reference electrolyte and needs no internal refill. The long-life reference design supports stability, while the blue inner gel is a separate sensing component. Neither feature removes the need to rinse away residues and keep the junction clean between samples.

Practical reading and calibration

PH850 displays pH and temperature together on a backlit LCD. A stability icon and completed-calibration indicators support a consistent sequence. Automatic recognition accepts one to three calibration points with USA or NIST buffers. The IP57-rated enclosure and protective sleeve help with portable handling, but connectors must stay clean and dry.

Know what this configuration supplies.

Cheese and cultured-food development

Compare prepared portions at defined locations and temperatures. Rind, interior and inclusions can give different readings; specify the sampling point instead of assuming that one penetration represents the whole batch. Discard the measured portion rather than returning it to food for consumption.

Dough and sushi rice checks

Establish consistent sample preparation, moisture contact and measurement depth in your own procedure. Avoid dragging or twisting the glass tip through dense material. Use a representative portion and record its identity so formulation or process comparisons remain meaningful.

Fruit and compatible semi-solids

Use wet, accessible sample material within the electrode temperature range. Prepare an opening with a separate suitable tool when a surface is too firm. A pH result alone does not demonstrate canning safety, microbial safety or regulatory compliance.

Prepare a portion.
Protect the glass spear.

Connect the blue BNC plug for pH and black RCA plug for the integrated NTC 30 kΩ temperature sensor. Remove the storage bottle and rinse the tip with distilled or deionized water. The LabSen 753 manual calls for at least two-point calibration when a new electrode is connected. In USA mode, begin with pH 7.00 and add a suitable second buffer, commonly pH 4.00 for acidic foods. Use fresh portions and rinse between them.

Work on a separate sacrificial portion, using your established food-handling procedure. The sample must be wet enough for membrane and junction contact. Never use the electrode as a knife, lever or corer. The exact probe manual says to cut a small hole first if the medium is too hard; do not increase force to overcome resistance.

Allow pH and temperature to stabilize, observe the stability icon and record both values. Do not impose a universal reading countdown across different foods. Keep sample preparation, location and temperature consistent when comparing batches. Automatic temperature compensation adjusts electrode response; it does not correct every chemical change caused by sample temperature.

Clean the sample away.
Keep the tip in 3M KCl.

Rinse thoroughly before and after each measurement. Food residues can obscure the junction and slow response even when the display looks plausible. Do not scrape the glass or wipe it aggressively. For persistent contamination, the LabSen 753 manual specifies Apera AI1166 cleaning solution for 30 minutes, gentle soft-brush removal, then at least one hour in 3M KCl before rinsing and recalibration.

Return the electrode to its storage bottle with clean 3M KCl soaking solution covering the sensing end. Replace contaminated or insufficient solution. This is external storage care, not refilling the sealed polymer reference. Distilled or deionized water is appropriate for rinsing but not for storing this electrode.

A little transparent polymer gel can swell and emerge at the junction during KCl soaking. The manual describes this as normal and instructs gently wiping the excess with clean tissue. Keep the electrical connectors dry. Stop using a damaged tip, and verify calibration after cleaning or whenever response becomes suspect.

A stable reading is the start of the record.

Use the physical controls for on-meter measurement and calibration. HOLD temporarily locks a reading on screen; write the result and its sample context in your external worksheet or record system. Screen values in photographs are illustrative, not sample results.

Use calibration solutions and settings appropriate to the parameter and fitted electrode. Temperature compensation does not make different sample temperatures, preparation methods or chemistry equivalent. Follow the model-specific meter and electrode instructions before extending the method to a new sample.

Read the result.
Make the record yourself.

PH850 is a direct-reading Value-series instrument, not a stored-results logger. The current kit specification lists data storage, storage content and output as N/A. There is no supported computer-download or automated reporting workflow for this model.

Optional automatic HOLD freezes a stable displayed reading to help with transcription. It does not retain a batch record. Keep a notebook or worksheet with sample identity, pH, measured temperature, operator and your own date and time, alongside calibration details and any unusual drift.

Procurement note: the current US kit page lists three AA batteries, while the PH850 manual lists three AAA batteries. Confirm the supplied hardware revision and battery requirements; battery inclusion is not promised here. The current limited warranty is three years for the instrument and six months for the probe from delivery, subject to exclusions including accidental damage, misuse and normal wear.