Sponsored by RETSCH GmbHReviewed by Emily MageeMay 12 2026
Reliable food analysis begins long before the final measurement is made. However advanced the analytical method may be, the result still depends on whether the sample being tested is representative and sufficiently homogeneous.
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In food analysis, this is not always simple. Products vary widely in moisture, fat content, texture, structure, and composition, so sample preparation is more than a routine first step. It is a major factor in determining whether results are accurate, reproducible, and useful.
This article explores why sample preparation matters so much in food analysis, the challenges posed by different food matrices, and how the right grinding, homogenization, and sieving approaches can improve reliability throughout the workflow.
The first main section, Challenges Posed by Different Food Matrices, shows that there is no one-size-fits-all preparation method for food samples. Dry, granular, and crystalline materials such as grains, sugar, and salt are among the easiest to process, but they still require controlled grinding to reach the desired particle size without changing the material itself.
For these types of samples, the article highlights rotor and centrifugal mills such as the ZM 300 and SR 300, which are designed to deliver reproducible results for dry and brittle products.
More difficult are oily, moist, and sticky foods such as chocolate, cheese, meat, and baked goods. These materials can smear or clump during grinding, making even particle reduction harder to achieve. For these matrices, the article points to knife mills such as the GRINDOMIX GM 200 and GM 300, which are suited to fast and intensive homogenization.
Foods with high water content, including fruits, vegetables, soups, and sauces, create a different challenge: moisture may help break the sample down, but it can also lead to sticking or poor movement inside the grinding chamber.
Fibrous and tough materials such as dried herbs, plant matter, and freeze-dried fish require a more targeted cutting approach, and the article highlights the SM 100, SM 300, and SM 50 for these applications. Together, these examples show that food matrices behave very differently, and preparation methods need to be matched to the sample rather than applied as a standard process.
The next section, Cryogenic Sample Preparation as a Special Case, focuses on samples that are especially soft, sticky, fatty, or temperature sensitive. In these cases, conventional grinding can create heat, cause smearing, or lead to the loss of volatile components, all of which can affect the sample before analysis even begins.
Cryogenic grinding addresses this by cooling the material with dry ice or liquid nitrogen so it becomes brittle and easier to pulverize. The article presents this as an important option for high-fat and delicate food products where preserving sample integrity is critical.
Instruments such as the CryoMill and MM 500 control are highlighted as solutions specifically designed for this type of preparation, helping laboratories process challenging materials while reducing the risk of unwanted changes during grinding.
The section on Equipment Designs and Mill Types in Food Analysis broadens the discussion by showing how different technologies suit different sample types. Knife mills are ideal for soft, fatty, and moist samples. Rotor and centrifugal mills are better suited to dry, brittle, and granular materials.
Cutting mills are recommended for fibrous and tough products, while ball mills are used when finer or ultrafine grinding is required. The article shows that successful sample preparation is not just about making particles smaller. It is about choosing the right equipment for the matrix, the target fineness, the sample volume, and the analytical method that follows.
Another important section is Reproducibility and Quality Assurance, which sits at the heart of the full article. Reproducibility is essential in food analysis, especially where results need to be compared across users, laboratories, or production batches.
The article uses fat analysis as an example to show how much difference proper homogenization can make. Coarsely ground sausage samples showed much greater variation in measured fat content than finely homogenized samples, where the standard deviation was dramatically lower.
This illustrates one of the article’s key messages: effective sample preparation does not just prepare a sample for analysis, it directly improves the reliability of the result. The article also notes that accessories such as cyclone systems can support cooling, sample discharge, and dust reduction, helping improve consistency in routine laboratory work.
The final main section, The Importance of Sieving in Quality and Production Control, looks beyond grinding and homogenization to particle classification. Sieving plays an important role in determining particle size distribution, monitoring processes, checking batch consistency, and detecting oversized particles or agglomerates.
Because particle size affects properties such as solubility, flowability, sensory quality, and extraction behavior, it remains a critical parameter in many food products. The article highlights air jet sieving as especially useful for fine, light, or agglomeration-prone powders where conventional mechanical sieving can struggle. The AS 200 jet pro is presented as an all-in-one system combining air jet sieving, integrated weighing, and software-supported evaluation to help standardize particle analysis and improve reproducibility.
Overall, the article shows that sample preparation is not just a preliminary stage in food analysis, but one of its most important foundations. By adapting methods to different food matrices, selecting suitable equipment, and focusing on reproducibility at every step, laboratories can generate results that are far more accurate, consistent, and meaningful.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by RETSCH.
For more information on this source, please visit RETSCH.