For over 20 years, beverage development company MetaBev has been in the business of helping their clients craft the perfect beverage, offering a start-to-finish experience. Whether formulating new beverages or sourcing and selling raw materials, MetaBev works with their clients from the development lab all the way to connecting them with the right bottling and packaging facilities; with less than a dozen employees, efficiency is key in this busy laboratory. In a typical day, the scientists at MetaBev will receive flavors for customers, ensure they meet organoleptic standards, and re-ship to manufacturers, as well as meet with clients about their ideas and walk them through the development and creation processes.
In the laboratory, the right equipment is critical to the development, taste, and consistency of the finished product. For the experts in the MetaBev laboratory, hotplate stirrers are an essential piece of equipment. The
OHAUS Guardian 7000 hotplate stirrer has helped MetaBev streamline many of their processes, from the everyday stirring and mixing of liquids to complex beverage creation and regulation of more viscous samples, such as juice concentrates, or purees. The highly adjustable settings on the
OHAUS Guardian 7000 have helped MetaBev scientists achieve a uniform mix for every unique beverage they create, while precise temperature control ensures that juice concentrates do not overheat or lose their flavor integrity.
The scientists at MetaBev depend on several of the
OHAUS Guardian 7000's sophisticated features, especially SmartRate™, which allows the user to set a slow, gradual stirring ramp acceleration."When something is put together and there are lots of solids on the bottom, other stir plates will lose their pull on the magnetic stir bar trying to get up to speed, "says MetaBev scientist Michael Capace, "but the OHAUS
Guardian 7000 unit will gradually rise in speed and mix more thoroughly. Plus, as a result of mixing more thoroughly, we experience much less splashing and spillage as the unit gets up to speed."
Because MetaBev is a development lab, total control over temperature and viscosity are essential. "Other stir plates do not seem to have the same precise adjustments as the OHAUS
Guardian 7000. The ability to set a speed and then execute it is great, as opposed to a more analog knob," says Capace, referring to the
Guardian 7000's digital adjustments, which allows the user to set their desired speed and temperature by first turning the dial and then executing those settings with a simple press of the knob.
In addition to the precise, customizable control provided by the OHAUS
Guardian 7000 hotplate stirrers, MetaBev relies on additional features as well; specifically, the built-in timer, audible alarms, and external thermostat and probe. As Capace says, "These features enable us to work independently off the unit, rather than having to constantly be checking it."
The Guardian 7000 stands out against hotplate stirrers used by MetaBev in the past, most notably because of its ease-of-use and precision. The Guardian 7000's advanced safety features designed to protect the lab are an asset as well, including SmartPresence™ technology, which uses an infrared proximity sensor to recognize when a user is nearby and shuts off the unit if no one is detected, or the SmartLinkTM detection system designed to turn the heating function off if the Bluetooth® link is broken. "The safety features are great, especially if you have newer employees," remarks Capace, also noting that previous hotplate stirrers had magnets that failed quickly and speeds that were difficult to control, problems that use of the OHAUS Guardian 7000 have solved.
Learn more about the OHAUS Guardian 7000