The principle of the EIM-IRMS® method is based on the dehydration of ethanol using an EIM catalyst, specially developed by SG Isotech, followed by pyrolysis of gas and measurement of the relative ratio of Hydrogenstable isotopes in the Hydrogen gas created.
All products containing ethanol or fermentable sugars can be prepared for analysis by the EIM-IRMS method and equipment. As the abbreviation EIM itself suggests, it is an Ethanol Isotope Measurement concept, so the main analyte under test is ethanol. Fermentable sugars must first be converted to ethanol so that ethanol can be analyzed for illegal practices and the botanical origin of the starting material used in production.
The alcoholic strength of the wine distillate should be greater than 92% vol.
From 30 to 40 samples can be analyzed within a single sequence.
For the purposes of EIM-IRMS, it is necessary to use AAWES standard with known dDn value, which can be obtained from us at SG Isotech Company.
EIMPyro Peripheral has two reactors. ED reactor needs to be changed after approx.180 injections and Pyro reactor has to be changed after 500 injections.
EIMPyro peripheral can be connected to AS3000, AI 1310 Liquid Autosampler or GC Pal Autosamplers for liquid samples.
When performing analysis, 3-5 injections should be done per one sample.
SG Isotech has developed specific software called “EIM Calculator” which is used for calculation of dDn results. EIM Calculator also has the possibility to calculate average dDn value and SD for each analyzed sample.
After connecting the EIMPyro peripherals to the isotope ratio MS and after raising the temperature in the reactors, it is necessary to determine whether all the connections are tightened before starting the sequence. By switching the mass on the middle detector to 40 (Argon) it is necessary to monitor the background which should be below 40 mV. Leak checking must be performed each time before the analysis begins. If the leakage is higher, it is necessary to check all connections as a rule from the closest connection to the longest connection from IRMS.
The NMR concept is based on the technique of counting deuterium atoms on a methyl and methylene group of ethanol, which oscillate at appropriate frequencies in a strong magnetic field, while the EIM technique is based on determining the dD values of non-exchangeable stable isotopes of Hydrogen in ethanol. The analytical values obtained by both techniques are very precise, but there is a difference in the natural ranges of these analytical parameters for ethanol with a different botanical origin, and accordingly a difference in the level of detection of illegal production practices in the production of wine, fruit juices, alcoholic beverages, and honey. For NMR this difference for ethanol with the different botanical origin is only 1 ppm, while for EIM it is about 50 ‰ on a relative scale.
The accuracy of measurement is expressed by the precision limits of the repeatability and reproducibility which can be calculated from the sample standard deviation of the test results. The repeatability precision limit (r) and the reproducibility precision limit (R) for EIM-IRMS are calculated as follows:
r = 2.8 × sr = 2.7‰ ;
R = 2.8 × sR = 2.13 ‰
Where:
- sR - Interlaboratory Reproducibility standard deviation as Standard deviation of all measurements of the same sample expressed in ‰
- sr − Interlaboratory Repeatability standard deviation as the average standard deviation for the same sample expressed in ‰
The analysis of one sample takes 5-8 minutes.
Yes, there is no problem to analyze ethanol samples from different sources.
Ethanol is firstly quantitatively dehydrated without isotopic fractionation over specifically designed EIM Catalyst and then pyrolyzed and elemental Hydrogen gas is obtained.
If by any chance a distillate of less than 92% vol is obtained, the distillation process of the wine sample should be repeated and the alcoholic strength and recovery determined again
Yes, the Pyro reactor can be used separately when determining the d18O or dD values in water or solid samples.
Yes, the EIMPyro peripheral has the ability to automatically heat up and cool down the reactors. There is no need to manually raise or lower the temperature, but this option also exists.
3-4 hours.
Like other IRMS equipment, the EIMPyro should also be positioned in an air-conditioned room.
EIM-PADS is a shortcut for Ethanol Isotope Measurement – Preparation Automatic Distillation System.
EIM-PADS can contain up to 10 distillation units
Wine, fermented fruit juices, fermented honey as well as alcoholic beverages can be distilled on the EIM-PADS system.
Of course, it is possible to distill different samples simultaneously, regardless of their origin.
The volume of the sample to be distilled is always the same and is 250 mL.
The volume of the distillation flask is 500 mL.
The whole distillation process is fully automated and software-driven, so the process ends automatically when ethanol is completely pre-distilled and converted to the distillate.
Distillation begins when the temperature at the top of the distillation unit reaches 78.2 °C and ends when the temperature exceeds the value of 79 °C. The ethanol evaporation temperature is exactly within this range of values and as soon as the temperature exits this range means that there is no more ethanol in the superheated steam and that the distillation process is complete.
Temperature is controlled by EIM-PADS software.
The recovery of the sample must be greater than 90% since in this case, the isotopic fractionation of ethanol during distillation is minimal.
The average alcoholic strength of the distillate is in the range of 92-94% vol. The alcoholic strength of the distillate must be determined for each sample prepared since the quality of the analysis itself depends on it, and the recoverability calculation first.
Yes, sample names can be entered into the EIM-PADS program.
Yes, the distillation time in the first place depends on the amount of ethanol in the sample. The average distillation process lasts from 1.5 to 2 hours.
Distillation may be stopped at any time, but it is not advisable in this case to use distillate for authentication because the process is not complete and is not quantitative by itself. Ethanol must be quantitatively extracted from the sample to be analyzed in order for the results to be reliable and valid.
Yes, it is advisable to keep ethanol distillate samples in the refrigerator at low temperature to avoid evaporation and hence isotopic fractionation and loss of sample origin information.
Yes, all spare parts for EIM-PADS can be purchased directly from our SG ISOTECH Company.
It is not possible to concentrate ethanol by standard distillation to the ethanol concentrations obtained on EIM-PADS.
The space occupied by EIM-PADS depends first on the number of distillation units within a single battery. if the distillation battery contains 10 distillation units then the space it occupies is about 8 square meters.
SG Isotech is a 100% private company specializing in the production, research and development of analytical instrumentation equipment for the authentication of food products, which is based on the determination of stable isotopes of light elements such as Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur.
SG Isotech was founded in 2013 in the Republic of Serbia.
SG Isotech currently has collaborations with scientific institutions and scientific teams (laboratories and research centers) in the US, Austria, Hungary, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.
Yes, SG Isotech plans to continue to develop further and grow up in the future so that it could increase its offerings and be available to both existing and future prospective clients with new technologies and instruments that will help them perform their activities easier, faster and better.
SG Isotech is a socially active company with its profiles on social networks such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
All interested parties can speak with our representatives in English.
Yes, SG Isotech has a highly qualified professional staff consisting of Engineers and PhDs in various fields of business and technical expertise. Our associates are always available on your request.
All information about our equipment, as well as information on results and measurements and scientific references can be obtained here on our website
Currently 5 laboratories worldwide are already using the SG Isotech revolutionary EIM-IRMS concept and are successfully detecting illegal manufacturing practices in the production of wine, fruit juices, honey and spirits. Our equipment can be seen at the following institutions:
1. Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) Scientific Research & Education Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
2. COIL, Cornell Stable Isotope Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, US
3. Imprint Analytic, Neutal, Austria
4. Atomic Institute, Debrecen, Hungary,
5. C.N.R.I.F.F.I., Beijing, People's Republic of China
Research and development is a very important and crucial part of our business. Continuous development and science-based innovation are the keys to our success, which stands out from the competition in the market and offer our potential customers new technologies that are the basis for solving practical problems in their business.