OBJECTIVE

1. To determine the total ash content of food sample using drying method.

2. To understand the importance of minerals content in food, analysis and nutrient

requirement.

SUMMARY

Ash is defined as the inorganic residue remaining after a process ,burning. Burning
will remove the water and organic matter in the presence of oxidizing agents. Complete burning
will indicate the ash content by measuring the information of white ash. Ash content is a measure
of the total amount of minerals within a food. Drying method, wet method and low temperature
plasma dry method. These are the three main types of analytical procedure used to determine the
ash content of foods. Different condition will need different method for analysis. The method
chosen for a particular analysis depends on the reason for carrying out the analysis, the type of
food analyzed and the equipment available. Drying method is one of the effective way to
determine the ash content in food. It was a high temperature muffle furnace capable of
maintaining temperatures of between 500℃ and 600℃ Normally, in these high temperature,
water and volatile materials will vaporize whereas the organic substances will convert to CO 2,
H 2 O and N 2 when they are burned in the presence of the oxygen in air. Although most minerals
have fairly low volatility at these high temperatures, some are volatile and may be partially lost
such as iron, lead and mercury. It is more advisable to use alternative methods that using lower
temperature when analysis of determining concentration of the substances. This advice will
prevent the problems cause by high temperature. There are many advantages of drying method.
They are safe, few reagent are required, many samples can be analyzed and it requires no added
reagents or blank subtraction, and little attention is needed once ignition begins.
PROCEDURE

The weight of 2 gram sample

The weight of cool crucibles
into crucible were recorded.
(after preheat with 100℃)
(placed in 100℃oven and
were recorded.
dried for 1 hour)

The sample were placed in The furnace were turned off

100℃ oven and dried for 1 and waited until the
hour. temperature dropped to at
least 250℃ to open it

The sample were placed into

The door were carefully desiccator’s and allowed
opened to avoid the lose of cooling to room temperature,
ash. by using the tong.