How to Perform an Acidity in Vinegar Test with the HI-931 Automatic Titrator

This tutorial video provides an easy, visual step-by-step guide for measuring acidity in vinegar with an automatic titrator, featuring the innovative HI-931 Automatic Titrator from Hanna Instruments. The steps in this video tutorial include:

• Calibrating the HI-931 titrator
• What you need for testing
• Selecting the method
• Priming the HI-931 burette
• Preparing the sample
• Titrating the sample
• Completing the titration 
• Cleaning 

The HI-931 Automatic Titrator is an accurate and reliable solution for measuring acidity in vinegar. Measuring acidity is vital for achieving consistent outcomes in the food manufacturing process as well as for other applications vinegar is utilised for, such as cleaning products. Using an automatic titration process to test vinegar is an easy and practical method to confirm acidity.

This article covers how to measure this parameter, including a step-by-step list and a video tutorial for the HI-931 titrator. Contact our team directly for more information.

Why is it important to measure acidity in vinegar?

Vinegar contains acetic acid, or ethanoic acid, a clear, chemical compound that gives vinegar products their specific smell and taste. Different types of vinegar have differing amounts of acetic acid, and different percentages may be desirable depending on what the vinegar will be used for.

As a multi-purpose chemical, vinegar is utilised for preservatives, additives and for table use within the food industry. Beyond food, vinegar is also used for pharmaceuticals, cleaning solutions, pesticides, printing and other niche applications where accurate acidity measurement is important. 

With such a wide variety of applications, the percentage of acetic acid can vary between different products, from 4% to 18% in the UK. Monitoring this parameter provides information on the safety of the product, which is particularly important for food items that come into contact with the public. The acidity of vinegar also affects the chemical's ability to safely preserve food items in products such as canned pickled vegetables and pickled seafood.

Using an automatic titration system to check vinegar's acidity is an easy and effective way to achieve consistency and provide a palatable, safe product.

Step-by-step guide to measuring acidity in vinegar

Please note: before measuring acidity in vinegar with the HI-931 titrator, an appropriate method is required. Method creation and setup are a quick process with the user-friendly interface of this automatic titration system. Contact our team directly to discuss how to create your method for vinegar acidity with simple, easy-to-follow steps.

You will need:

• A 100mL beaker
• HI-70457 1N NaOH
• HI-1131B electrode
• A waste beaker
• A pipette
• DI water in a rinsing bottle

How to measure acidity in vinegar:

• Place the aspiration tube into the NaOH bottle
• Place the waste beaker under the dosing tip
• Navigate to ‘Burette’ and select ‘Prime Burette’ to perform two cycles for a clean burette or three cycles if another titrant is present from previous testing
• Pipette 20 ml of sample into a 100 ml beaker
• Remove the electrode cap, place the sample underneath and lower the assembly down
• Dilute with DI or distilled water to submerge the electrode to approximately 3cm
• Turn on the titrator and select ‘Acidity Acetic Acid Vol’ method from the method list
• Press ‘Start’ and add weight to begin titration, and select ‘View Curve’ to view the titration curve
• ‘Titration Completed’ will display once titration is complete
•  Remove the electrode assembly from the sample and rinse with DI water
• Add a small amount of storage solution into the electrode cap before screwing it back on

*About priming the burette

If your titrator will go unused for two hours or longer, we recommend always priming with DI water twice to prevent damage to the burette. This ensures your titrator remains in good condition. If you have previously performed a test with a different method, it is also important to prime your burette ahead of testing three times as detailed above.

About the HI-931 Automatic Titrator

The Hanna HI-931 automatic titrator performs a wide variety of potentiometric titrations, including acidity and salt content, with high accuracy and flexibility, allowing the user to obtain both accurate results through high-speed analysis. The casing of this titrator is designed with strong, chemically resistant plastic, while a compact footprint makes this automatic titrator an ideal solution for laboratories, research and educational environments.

This advanced titrator saves time in testing and is suitable for the key safety and consistency requirements of the food industry, including the measurement of acidity in many different types of vinegar. Learn more about this titrator here.

Chat to our experts about Hanna titration solutions on 01525 850 855 or email us at sales@hannainstruments.co.uk to learn more about our product range.