For years, the mass spectrometer has been used in substance analysis.
Mass spectrometer technology is the approved technology for the detection of foreign substances in
deposit bottles. Analysis is completed 10 times faster than usual, and takes less than 80 ms.
It recognizes up to 200 substances as well as their level of concentration. The typical molecule mass
ranges from mass 17 (ammoniac) up to mass 120 (105 = Xylem).
Advantages of Mass Spectrometer Technology
Compared to other systems, mass spectrometer technology has one essential advantage: positive
substance identification by using of spectra. This ensures detection of any residues in each
bottle (if it has a detectable gas phase). The substance library not only contains registers
a large number of chemical substances marked as rejects, but also stores the spectra of the
produced soft drinks. If the measured spectrum does not correspond to the substances stored
in the library, the bottle is rejected as unknown. Unlike sensors used by the concurrence)
which are designed for one or a couple of substances, the mass spectrometer is very flexible.
New substances or soft drinks can be added at any time, provided the gaseous phase is detectable
and differs from the drink residues. E.g. garlic was recently added as an unwanted substance,
but no additional sensors were needed. The rejection rate ranges from 0.3% to 0.8 % depending from
Contaminations. The wrong rejections occur at a rate of 0.2% or less.
Typical Spectra of Garlic (Knoblauch)
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