Latest News and Application Notes

Farmers are fortune tellers. In so many ways, they must predict what will happen in the future. What seed do they plant? How many? Will there be a drought? What will their yields be? What will the market be like? Everything science can do to give farmers an edge in their predictions can help make their futures more secure. One such advantage arises from carbon and nitrogen determination in soil, fertilizer, and plant tissue.

How do you know what is in your food? If you're like most consumers, you take a look at the information on the back of your food packaging to know the ingredients and nutritional value. But how can you trust that information is correct? Where does that information come from? Someone like Jonathan Griffin, Public Analyst and Lead Analytical Services Manager at Kent Scientific Services in the UK, answers that question.

Where does hope come from? For Dr. Jason Streubel, Senior Director of the Center for Agriculture & Food Security for the Convoy of Hope, hope comes from being able to feed yourself, your family, and your community. Hope comes from the security of knowing where your next meal is coming from and the ability to turn your focus to the future instead of the immediate present. Hope comes from agriculture.

Many LECO analytical instrument rely on consumables like pure chemical and high purity gases to function. When supply chain issues affect these consumables, laboratory operations can quickly increase in cost or in worst case scenarios can even be shut down. One current issue that is plaguing the scientific community is the supply of helium.

Alcohol is one of the oldest intentionally-crafted drinks in the world, with evidence of fermented drinks existing as early as 10,000 BC. It has remained an important cultural touchstone around the world, with most countries having some version of "going out for drinks" as a common social activity. While there are three main types of alcoholic beverages—wine, beer, and spirits—beer consistently remains the most popular alcoholic drink around the world and third most popular drink after water and tea. Recent Gallup polls find that 38% of Americans prefer beer to wine (30%) and spirits (29%).

Since the 1800s, there have been two major methods of protein determination, the Kjeldahl and the Dumas methods. Both methods measure the nitrogen in a sample and use mathematics to convert that into the protein content. Though the Dumas method was older, the Kjeldahl method quickly took off in popularity due to its relative ease of performance. However, as new technologies developed, the Dumas method began gaining in popularity.

The price of crude oil is one of the great drivers of our economy. At a minimum, the price of all goods includes costs of transporting them from manufacturer to consumer. But the price of crude oil and other oil materials can feel fickle, increasing and decreasing with supply or demand or even just market sentiment. Natural disasters or humanitarian crises can drastically impact availability or demand, sending prices hurtling skyward or crashing down. No refinery can control the entire market. All a refinery can do is operate their facilities in the most efficient and optimized manner. Doing that, however, requires an accurate way to monitor their process.

Coal in your stocking might be Santa's go-to punishment for naughty children, but surely he wouldn't just be giving away higher-quality coal! In the right field, a good, high-quality coal could be an ideal present! In order to separate the naughty coal from the nice, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen determinations are required.

Over the last thirty years, the Dumas combustion method for analyzing protein content in food has been gaining popularity against the classic Kjeldahl wet chemical digestion and titration method. The Dumas method has several advantages over the Kjeldahl method: it is much faster, with much lower operating costs, no real safety issues, and no toxic waste produced. However, there is a debate over which of the two main approaches to the Dumas method is better: a vertical or a horizontal combustion furnace.

A web of factors contributes to a good crop, but the importance of carbon and nitrogen cannot be overstated. From soil to fertilizer to the plant matter itself, the mix of carbon and nitrogen play key roles in the development and growth of the plant. Knowing the carbon and nitrogen levels in every aspect of your field can help you maintain quality control over the end result.