RQflex® 20 Reflectometer by Supelco | Accurate On-Site Photometric Measurement for Food, Beverage, Water & Environmental Testing

Strict quality standards in food, beverage, and environmental testing demand precise, rapid, and reliable results. The RQflex® 20 Reflectometer from Supelco delivers laboratory-quality quantitative analyses directly at your production site, helping streamline workflows while supporting regulatory and internal quality requirements. This advanced system is designed to meet diverse industry needs and deliver fast, reproducible data for confident decision-making.

Benefits of the RQflex® 20 Reflectometer

• Rapid quantitative decisions on-site: The RQflex® 20 Reflectometer delivers precise quantitative results in minutes directly at the production site, supporting timely in-process monitoring and rapid QC analysis.
• Portable measurements at the point of need: On-the-spot testing enables monitoring at any stage of the workflow across food, water, industrial, and environmental sample types.
• Reliable, reproducible results with minimal delay: When used with barcoded Reflectoquant® test strips featuring batch-specific calibration, the system provides consistent quantitative results within minutes.
• Clear data quality support for routine control: Instrument-supported Analytical Quality Assurance, including RQcheck and total system monitoring (TSM), helps ensure accurate and precise measurement results and reliable ongoing performance.
• Lower user error through guided operation: Intuitive menu navigation and on-screen pictograms make methods and workflows straightforward to follow for accurate, reproducible measurements.
• Improved throughput and standardization: A configurable countdown timer with an advanced warning alert helps streamline test strip preparation steps for maximum reproducibility.
• Broad utility across critical parameters: One instrument supports easy and accurate quantitative measurement of many substances, including hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), nitrate, malic acid, formaldehyde, calcium, peroxide, and peracetic acid.
• Direct support for food and beverage quality attributes: Rapid methods enable monitoring of parameters such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in juices, total sugar in potatoes, nitrate in vegetables, and HMF in honey for freshness assessment.
• Confidence in disinfection control checks: Fast quantitative testing of peroxide and peracetic acid supports routine disinfection control to verify process conditions efficiently.
• Faster method adoption and consistent execution: Reflectoquant® application notes provide step-by-step sample preparation guidance to help implement reflectometry methods across agriculture, food and beverage, and disinfection control processes.

Key Features of the RQflex® 20 Reflectometer

• Product format: RQflex® 20 Reflectometer is a compact, light reflectometer designed for portable reflectometry within the Reflectoquant® system.
• System components: The Reflectoquant® system consists of Reflectoquant® test strips and reflectometers, configured for rapid testing across food, water, industrial, and environmental sample materials.
• Test strip compatibility: The RQflex® 20 is used in combination with Reflectoquant® test strips.
• Barcoded calibration concept: Reflectoquant® test strips are barcoded and include batch specific calibration, with the barcode used for accurate and reproducible readings.
• Menu and interface design: The instrument features intuitive menu navigation for access to methods, results, and quality assurance options, with adjustable settings.
• Workflow guidance: The display provides method and workflow pictograms to guide strip handling and measurement steps.
• Instrument-supported AQA: The RQflex® 20 supports Analytical Quality Assurance via RQcheck and total system monitoring (TSM), with calibration used to reset the baseline.
• Method and result storage: The instrument is designed to store multiple test methods, measurement results, RQcheck results, and calibration results.
• Timing control: A built-in countdown-timer with an advanced warning alert supports test strip preparation timing, with timer settings that can be tailored.
• Language options: Interface languages available include English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese.
• Broader method ecosystem: The Reflectoquant® platform includes a comprehensive range of test kits and more than 100 reflectometry application notes with step-by-step sample preparation guidance and parameter information for areas such as agriculture, food and beverage, and disinfection control.
• Example parameter coverage within the Reflectoquant® test strip range: Parameters referenced include hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), ascorbic acid, nitrate, malic acid, formaldehyde, calcium, peroxide, peracetic acid, and additional tests such as ammonium, glucose, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrite, phosphate, potassium, sucrose, sulfite, total hardness, and pH.

Technical Specifications

• Dimensions: 184 × 79 × 30 mm
• Weight: 253 g (including batteries)
• Memory: 50 test methods; 200 measurement results; 50 RQcheck results; 50 calibration results
• LEDs and optics: 4 LEDs, green/red, double optics
• Power source: 4 × 1.5 V batteries (AAA)
• Display: Reflective LCD Graphic Module (256 × 160 dot)
• Measurement range: 4 to 90% rel. remission
• Reflection area: 4 × 6 mm
• Resolution: 0.1% rel. remission
• Operating temperature: 5 to 40 °C for ideal measurements
• Operating humidity: below 80% for ideal measurements

Application and Usage of the RQflex® 20 Reflectometer

Below is an overview of typical application areas and parameters that can be measured with the RQflex® 20 Reflectometer and Reflectoquant® test strips.

• Food and beverage production:
  • Determine ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content in fruit juices with little sample preparation, using the Reflectoquant® Ascorbic Acid Test.
  • Measure hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in honey and fruit juices to assess freshness using Reflectoquant® test strips and the RQflex® 20.
  • Measure total sugar in potatoes.
  • Measure nitrate in vegetables.
  • Measure malic acid in wines.
  • Measure formaldehyde in fish products.
  • Measure calcium in cheese.
  • Additional Reflectoquant® parameters listed for instrumental analysis include ammonium, glucose, iron (Fe(II)), lactic acid, magnesium, nitrite, phosphate, potassium, sucrose, sulfite, total hardness, and pH.
• Water testing:
  • Use the system for quantitative measurement of substances in water testing with Reflectoquant® test strips and the RQflex® 20 reflectometer.
  • Parameters explicitly listed for the Reflectoquant® test strip range include ammonium, calcium, chlorine (free chlorine), iron (Fe(II)), magnesium, nitrate, nitrite, peroxide (H2O2), peracetic acid, phosphate, potassium, pH, and total hardness.
• Agriculture and soil or plant analysis:
  • Analyze nitrate content in soil using a quick and easy analytical method demonstrated for the RQflex® 20 with Reflectoquant® test strips.
  • Control nutrients in soil and plant products, with parameters specifically highlighted as important including nitrogen and phosphorus.
  • Determine nitrate in vegetables using Reflectoquant® test strips and the RQflex® 20.
• Disinfection control:
  • Measure peroxide and peracetic acid for disinfection control using Reflectoquant® test strips and the RQflex® 20.
  • Additional parameters explicitly listed for disinfection-related testing include free chlorine and pH.
• Environmental or industrial monitoring:
  • Use the Reflectoquant® system across industrial and environmental sample types with the RQflex® 20 and Reflectoquant® test strips.
  • Parameters explicitly listed for rapid instrumental analysis include ammonium, nitrate, and urea.

List of Products for the RQflex® 20 Reflectometer

Chemical Express, the official distributor of Merck and Supelco in Thailand, offers over 23 years of expertise and access to the full range of RQflex® 20 Reflectometer instruments, Reflectoquant® test kits, and related analytical solutions. Our professional technical support and genuine products can help you strengthen and streamline your quality assurance processes.