BAR owners who water down their beer or wine could be caught out by a briefcase-sized testing kit.
The new device contains a spectrometer which measures alcohol content by passing infrared radiation through a sample, and then compares the spectrum of frequencies transmitted through the liquid with those of a reference sample.
鈥淚t only takes 30 to 60 seconds,鈥� says of the Chemical and Veterinary Investigation testing agency in Karlsruhe, Germany, who helped develop and test the device. Test results published in Chemistry Central Journal () show the device produced near identical results to powerful lab equipment when testing the alcohol content of 260 drink samples.
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The portable device, which is being manufactured by , also of Karlsruhe, costs just 鈧�3000, about 1/20th as much as lab-based infrared spectrometers.
The UK Trading Standards Institute, a professional body, says the device looks 鈥渇ar superior鈥� to portable equipment currently in use. But it adds that it would probably be most suited to initial checks, with lab testing required for any case that went to court.
