Refractive Index of Crop Juices -- Calibrated In % Sucrose Or Brix

Poor FRUITS Apples Avocados Bananas Blueberries Cantaloupe Casaba Cherries Coconut Grapes Grapefruit Honeydew Kumquat Lemons Limes Mangos Oranges Papayas Peaches Pears Pineapple Raisins Raspberries Strawberries Tomatoes Watermelons GRASSES Alfalfa Grains Sorghum 6 4 8 8 8 8 6 8 8 6 8 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 12 60 6 6 4 8 4 6 6 Average 10 6 10 12 12 10 8 10 12 10 10 6 6 6 6 10 10 10 10 14 70 8 8 6 12 8 10 10 Good 14 8 12 14 14 12 14 12 16 14 12 8 8 10 10 16 18 14 12 20 75 12 12 8 14 16 14 22 Excellent 18 10 14 18 16 14 16 14 20 18 14 10 12 12 14 20 22 18 14 22 80 14 14 12 16 22 18 30 VEGETABLES Asparagus Beets Bell Peppers Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Corn Stalks Corn (Young) Cow Peas Cucumbers Endives English Peas Escarole Field Peas Garlic, Cured Green Beans Hot Peppers Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Onions Parsley Peanuts Potatoes Potatoes, Sweet Romaine Rutabagas Squash Sweet Corn Turnips Poor 2 6 4 6 6 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 4 8 4 4 28 4 4 8 6 4 4 4 4 3 6 4 4 6 6 4 Average 4 8 6 8 8 6 6 6 8 10 6 6 6 10 6 6 32 6 6 10 8 6 6 6 6 5 8 6 6 8 10 6 Good 6 10 8 10 10 12 8 10 14 18 10 8 8 12 8 10 36 8 8 12 10 8 8 8 8 7 10 8 10 12 18 8 Excellent 8 12 12 12 12 18 10 12 20 24 12 12 10 14 10 12 40 10 10 16 12 10 10 10 10 8 14 10 12 14 24 10

Within a given species of plant, the crop with the higher refractive index will have a higher sugar content, higher mineral content, higher protein content and a greater specific gravity or density. This adds up to a sweeter tasting, more minerally nutritious food with lower nitrate and water content, lower freezing point, and better storage attributes.

The Quest for Nutrient Dense Foods

Grocery Store Beans

Garden Beans

In response to critics of the Brix=Quality concept, at HighBrixGardens, we analyzed fresh green beans from our garden and compared them to fresh green beans purchased from a local market.

Brix 4.2

Dry Matter

pH 5.5

Taste garbage

Brix 6.1

Dry Matter

pH 6.4

Taste decent

8.1%

16.6%

Interestingly, the garden beans were planted in early autumn. Growing conditions were not ideal and we barely got the beans harvested before the plants froze out. The units in the chart below vary, but they are per 100 grams. Notice that the garden beans are consistently higher in minerals and protein.

Nutritional Quality - Comparison of Store vs Garden Beans

For the complete results and analysis of the green beans see: http://www.highbrixgardens.com/nutrient-dense-foods.html