Number
326-EN
Section
General Section
Use
Sector
Manufacture of food products
Scientific research and development
Function
Other
Process
Manual activities involving hand contact
Product category
laboratory chemicals
Application
Method to the analysis of sucrose
Abstract
Conventional polarization analysis uses lead acetate as clarifying agent for the sugar juice. An alternative method using near infrared polarimetry that does not need lead acetate was tested and provided good quality results.
Substituted substances
Lead acetate, basic
CAS No. 1335-32-6 EC No. 215-630-3 Index No. 082-007-00-9
Chemical group
Lead compounds; carboxylic acid salts
Classification: hazard statements
H351 Suspected of causing cancer
H360Df May damage the unborn child. Suspected of damaging fertility
H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure
H400 Very toxic to aquatic life
H410 Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects
Alternative Substances
Diatomite
CAS No. 61790-53-2 EC No. Index No.
Chemical group
Silicas
Reliability of information
Internet information: data are from an internet document and only a basic and partial evaluation could be performed
Reason substitution
CMR
other toxic effects
ecotoxicity
Other type of alternative
Non-chemical alternative: near infrared polarimetry
Hazard Assessment
Substance to be substituted: Lead acetate basic (acetic acid, lead salt, basic) may damage the unborn child and is suspected of damaging fertility, is very toxic to aquatic life, is very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects, is suspected of causing cancer and may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure. Alternative substance: Diatomite, used as filtering material, has no harmonised classification according to Annex VI of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP Regulation).
Description of Substitution
Polarisation is determined for sugar juice in order to establish the content in sucrose. Analysis methods using wavelength 598 nm necessitate lead acetate as clarifying agent. Instruments operating at longer wavelength, e.g., laser (830 nm) or near infra-red (840 - 889 nm) regions are less sensitive to sample colour and can be applied after a filtration phase that eliminates turbidity. Parallel tests with the conventional lead acetate method and with an alternative method (abbreviated NORPOL) using a near infra-red polarimeter (wavelength 882.6 nm) were performed on 150 ml samples filtered on 3.5 g diatomite (celite). Results showed an excellent agreement (correlation R2 = 0.998 out of 1) between the NIRPOL and the conventional method with lead acetate. Repeatability and reproducibility of the two methods were also comparable.
Case/substitution evaluation
The substitution is easy to implement but needs another type of equipment. The alternative eliminates the use of a substance that contains lead and is classified as reprotoxic. Costs with the management of chemical supply and chemical waste are reduced.
State of implementation
Pilot study
Availability ofAlternative
Alternative is available
Type of information supplier
Research
Type of publication and availability
Scientific article, freely available on internet
Publication source: author, company, institute, year
The presentation is based on: Lead-free pol analysis using near infrared polarimetry (NIRPOL), Proc S Afr Sug Technol Ass (2000) 74
Publication source
Type of publication and availability
Date, reviewed
November 26, 2021