Do you brix test your grass? What reading?

HI, wondering if anyone uses a refractometer to test the brix levels of their grass? For those unfamiliar the brix level is the level of carbohydrates in a plant and some allege that the higher the carb level, the higher the vitamin and mineral levels also.

I have heard that most tray grown grass brixes at about 5 or 6, but that optimum brix levels for wheatgrass would be around 20.

Anybody fooled around with this?

This is interesting. If anyone here uses a Refractometer, share your information with us.......WY

I just bought a Refractometer. The Brix reading was 5% and 10% for my morning Celery and Carrot juices. I'll test my Wheatgrass when it gets tall enough....in a couple of days.
I can see great possibilities with this. I can modify my fertilizer mix to get the highest reading for my Wheatgrass Juice. I'm considering buying some OceanGrown (Sea Water) Solution to use in the 'test'.......WY

I just took a Giant Step and bought a Digital Refractometer. It's an Atago model PR-32a....catalog #3405. It was big bucks, but testing each batch of Wheatgrass and modifying the fertilizer mix is the only way to produce the Most Nutritious Wheatgrass Juice.
I mean, after all, Wheatgrass is what I do, why not try to do it right?........WY

Hello Wheatgrass yogi testing for brix levels shold be done with a single sample of plant fluid.Testing juice thats been concentrated from a juicer is an invalid Brixxing.Applying high brix gardening to sprouts is difficult do to the nature of sprouting.High brix gardening is based on using crushed rock soil augments while applying hyper-active microbial teas and foliars to maximize nutrient absorbtion from the plants themselves.Soil testing along with brixxing gives the gardener an idea of whats happening and what actions to take to achieve the goals associated with the garden.

What I have in mind will work for me. I grow my Wheatgrass in stainless steel bowls without drain holes. I pour a liquid fertilizer mix into each bowl, then goes in the potting mix, and then I scatter the soaked seed, finally covering it all with a thin layer of potting mix. I've been growing this way for many years and it has served me well.
I'll modify my fertilizer mix to get different readings on my Refractometer until the highest reading is attained. Testing the Wheatgrass Juice as it comes out of the Juicer may not be the 'correct' way, but it's the way I'm going to do it........WY
P.S. I've been using Clay, Seaweed, and OceanGrown Solution in my fertilizer mix.

The first test I did on my Wheatgrass got a 7.7% on the Brix Scale. I'm not terribly disappointed as I've read that the average tray grown grass tests out at 5. I think I can improve the quality of my grass and will be working on that........WY

Hello Wheatgrass Yogi a 7.7 is a good score from all that ive seen about practical application.I dont know of anyone growing high brix grass exept for pasture growing.Pasture growing gives plenty of time for the root system to reach deep into the soil where sprouting represses the roots.The high brixx theory is just that a theory that may not apply to sprouting do to what it really measures.Would you share the contents of your growing medium along with the augments used to achieve a 7.7?JJ43 alias grassman.

Hi, what is the brix test?
Liba

Hello Liba if you want to learn about High Brix just punch in high brix gardening into your search engine.A brix reading is done with a refracto meter which measures solids within the liquid sample.Dr. Carey Reams did alot of agricultural research on maximizing nutrient content of food through soil testing and the use of soil augments.Its very complicated but once you get the basic concept one can take it as far as one desires or can afford.Happy reading and sprouts rule.Jeff.

Purify and then filter the deep well water~~~~Use a Canadian custom grow mix with NO wetting agent or start up fertalizer.....Amend the grow mix with Food Grade Sea kelp MEAL>>>and plant a CERTIFIED organic Hard Red SPRING Sprouting Seeds......

ANY ONE ever trying our fresh wheatgrass as juice has remarked that it is exceptional~~~~~~~~~~

And have never even thought about Hype and promo of a test. Or buying a man made "machine" to see if I can pat myself on my back

I only suggest that if the products used are ALL primo...and REAL defused sunlight are present.....RESULTS are Priceless!

Anything I consume that is NATURAL>>>apples, oranges, cherries etc, Or Veggies>>>or nuts or rice or WHATEVER>>>If it's good....It's good.....

Good fresh wheatgrass Tastes good and has plenty of "Chi" afterward.

Thanks Jeff!

Brix should not be used to measure the quality of wheatgrass juice. You need to use a spectrophotometer.

Generally Brix is used with fruit juices. It's function is to analyze the sugar content of the liquid. In the case of fruit, the taste and concentration of nutrients are normally correlated with how high the sugar content is. The more sugar, the better but this is only for fruit, not wheatgrass. 1 Brix is associated with somewhere between 1-2% sugar content. In the case of orange juice, the various batches are mixed and blended to achieve appromiately 12 Brix.

I once heard someone rave about the excellence of their tray grown wheatgrass because they achieved nearly 20 Brix. All this actually means is that their wheatgrass is 20 - 40% sugar. Sugar in all forms is what most of us are trying to avoid and simply demonstrates that the plant is undeveloped and therefore has high levels of simple sugars.

Brix readings on outdoor grown wheatgrass juice are 0. There are no sugars whatsoever. When you grow wheatgrass outdoors, it matures quite differently. The roots reach 12" down into the soil and it has plenty of time to convert sun energy into chlorophyll as the plant grows to harvesting height (7"-11") in 90-120 days (instead of 10 days in a tray) and the simple sugars are converted into complex carbohydrates.

Longer growing cycles have been shown to increase anti-oxidant content:
http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/16521113

The way to measure the quality of wheatgrass is with a spectrophotometer. Using a spectrophotometer, you can measures chlorophyll levels and this is what we really want in our wheatgrass juice. If you would like to get superb outdoor grown wheatgrass juice that also has superb chlorophyll levels we invite you to check out our family company, DynamicGreens.com

Hey Derek I agree with some of what you said relevant to brix and the readings of a refractometer.From my understanding of the high brix theory is that the reading is also of dissolved minerals and covalent bonding.These elements of the sap refract the light within the tool itself and give valuable information to the steward that is tending to the crop being tested.Theres a guy on the highbrix forums thats a gardening nut that has great results applying Dr. Carey Reams ideas.He has a website called tandjenterprises.com you may find it of interest.This idea highbrix doesnt seem to be applicable to sprouting in general and is costly as far as gardening goes.

For those that don't know what brix is, you can check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brix which says (among other things):
"Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measurement of the dissolved sugar-to-water mass ratio of a liquid"

You can also check out this chart of common brix readings that comes from a link previously provided by JJ43:
http://www.highbrixgardens.com/highb...p%20Juices.pdf

Brix cannot be used with our wheatgrass juice (outdoor grown) as it always tests 0 on the brix scale.

In seeking a method of validating the quality of the juice, we purchased 2 refractometers several years ago. At the time, we were developing one of our juicers and wanted to see what technique proved to provide us with the highest density wheatgrass. To our surprise, the outdoor grown wheatgrass juice is not testable on the brix scale. This means there are absolutely no sugars of any type in the outdoor grown juice. Of course, that made us run around the house testing everything from soy sauce to fruit juices to milk. All of these showed readings at expected levels with extremely minor variances from one refractometer to the other; therefore, it was pretty quite clear that the equipment was in good operational order.

The statements made by a number of people (farmers / health enthusiasts not scientists) are that time allows the simple carbohydrates to convert into complex carbohydrates. As we fall squarely into the farmer/health enthusiast category that is the best explanation we have to offer. This leads us to believe that high brix readings are actually contraindicated as a measure of quality in the final product as it represents the level of immaturity rather than nutritional density. That said, it is likely that a high testing young plant (say 7 days old) would be better for you than a low testing plant at the same age.

As a refractometer cannot be used, we sought out the use of a spectrophotomer. A spectrophotomer allows you to measure light characteristics in specific frequency bands. We specifically use the light absorption to measure chlorophyll levels. In our experimentation we have found that as the grass matures, the sugars (which are present in the young plant) diminish as the chlorophyll rises.

Incidentally, when measuring chlorophyll with a spectrophotomer you find out something interesting. There are actually several types of chlorophyll includng chlorophyll A, B, C1, C2 and D. We do our testing on chlorophyll A as it is the only one directly involved in photosynthesis. It is interesting as things like algae and cyanobacteria which talk about high chlorophyll levels actually contain the C1, C2 and D varieties. That means that if chlorophyll is the active ingredient, you should expect different results with these products. You can read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll

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Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

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»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
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»IBS Links

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Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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If you mentioned that FRESH wheatgrass juice & Human Blood are identical...(Blood splits at IRON and FRESH wheatgrass juice splits at magneseum)...It might stir some interest in the FRESH JUICE...because many doctors TELL their patients that wheatgrass juice THINS the BLOOD!

JJ43 has TRIED to make a point to your that a BRIX test is GREAT(perhaps) to know if you are raising FRUIT!

Call thr Walgreens or CVS Parmacies here in the United States and see if the will provide you will some space on their shelves fro your FROZEN PROCESSED WHEATGRASS SUPPLIMENTAL PRODUCT....heck tell then I sent you!

This IS a forum to provide as much viable knokledge to the public anywhere in the world ABOUT growing fresh wheatgrass.....for home use.....

In the United States there are perhaps no more than 50(if that) COMMERCIAL GROWERS...I am PROUD TO SAY>>>>I am one of the smallest>>>10 years old!

Good luck & God Speed >>>Mr. Derek STEM....xo

With regard to brix, if you reread my post you'll see we have the same position.

That is why we use a spectrophotometer to measure chlorophyll. That said, you just need to choose a relevant indicator and do the best that you can because there are different lines of thinking. As an example, Dr. Chris Reynolds from Australia believes that the benefits from the juice come not from chlorophyll but rather a very small, currently unidentified molecule associated with chlorophyll but not chlorophyll itself. Our thought is that if the traditional claims are correct then chlorophyll is a good measure. On the other hand, if Dr. Reynolds is correct, this would still be a good measure due to the correlation he has theorized.

In terms of blood, the jury is still out on the similarities between chlorophyll and hemoglobin. 50% say true, 50% say false. I don't know the answer but a quick visual inspection will show you that the molecular structure has some similarities but many more differences. You can see diagrams on page 9 of "The Wheatgrass Book" by Ann Wigmore to review.

I do want to correct an inadvertent error in your post because it is quite important. Physicians do not think that wheatgrass thins the blood; rather, they are concerned that it contains large amounts of vitamin K. Vitamin K assists in blood coagulation and is contraindicated for people on blood thinners. Regardless of your personal approach, this is one where you really have to refer them back to their physician.

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

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»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
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»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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Are you using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to test the wheatgrass samples?its strange that what we see as green is really not green at all.For that is just the part of the spectrum that was reflected back to our eyes.Things are truly not as they seem to be.may I ask how you keep the juice cool during the juicing phase of production?I would imagine that the juice is very high in free form amino acids along with lots of other nutritional goodies.Is the grass tested at different stages or growth or just at harvest time?And is the grass harvested just before the jointing stage?Thank you for your replies it is nice to have a civil conversation here for a change.For some strange reason theres a poster here that thinks everybody is refering to the grass he grows as opposed to just grass in general.

I do not believe we are using a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. It appears that this is more advanced than the one that we use. Quite frankly, the spectrophotometers range in price from the low end of about $750, then about $3000 and then into the $10,000+ range. It looks like the fourier methods are higher end, faster, and have broader spectral ranges vs. our device which is on the low end of the range. For us, this doesn't matter as we are looking only at absorbancy for chlorophyll A which is at 430nm.

We don't test the grass during the season. We only did that in experimentation with our refractometers and the spectrophotometer to come up with a sensible, significant and repeatable measure.

We do constantly measure the juice during the harvest. The grass is harvested all around the jointing stage and of course the plant is always in motion. Cool weather will hold growth but warm weather will trigger growth. Our harvest will end when mother nature pushes the grass beyond its peak. In the meantime, we set our standards by ensuring we maintain satisfactory chlorophyll readings. We actually use seven properties which allows us to rotate and fallow the land. Sometimes, a certain property type may not achieve those measures and we can now choose alternate courses of action such as allowing the field to go to seed so that we have great non-treated, non-GMO seed available for planting.

In terms of keeping things cold, that isn't an issue at all. Techically, we are very fortunate to have a retired engineer (and my old boy scout troop leader) help us out at the farm. He and his son (also an engineer) are skilled in heat transfer and have designed our systems and process.

Fortunately, for the most part, we don't rely on technology to keep things cool. The grass itself comes off of the fields in both the spring and even more so in the fall cold. The washing is done with cold deep well mineral water and actually chills the grass a little further. The juicers do not impart any heat and the juice leaves them slightly below field temperatures. Juice leaving the juicers runs through a chiller and to our packaging machine. The description makes it sound like a bigger production than it is; in reality, it is simplicity in action with the whole process taking only a few moments before the juice is packaged and flash frozen.

Your questions are solid and I think you would find the farm very interesting. It is quite a sight with people ranging from 18 to 87 (literally) working side by side. Most of the retired guys in the neighborhood hang out there fixing, building, welding and helping out during harvest. They have a great time, we have a great time and you get to wear a lot of different hats. I get the sense from your posts that you'd fit right in.

Just a quick side note regarding wheatenergy's comments. Ann Wigmore's book was written in 1985 and we also consider it quite dated but not in regard to the hemoglobin / chlorophyll point. This actually relates to much earlier research done by Hans Fischer in the 1930's who you can read about here:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/c...scher-bio.html

Certainly, the current and far more complete text is from Steve Meyerowitz titled "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine". In the first edition of his book, you can find the hemoglobin / chlorophyll diagrams on page 50. In the current second edition, the diagrams are on pages 48 - 49.

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

Other Posts
»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
»Seed Issues
»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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Your just full of negativity and love to share it with the world.

Just for Fun, I have some frozen wheatgrass juice in my freezer and also some fresh tray grown. I'll Brix Test both and publish my results here. The Wheatgrass Juice should be tested just before it would enter the human body, don't you think? By the way, I'm growing my wheatgrass now using Ocean Grown Solution and Terramin Clay to boost trace minerals, something no Refractometer can measure........WY

Hi WheatgrassYogi,

I'm interested to see the results you publish. You are definitely correct that the improvements in the plant from Ocean Grown + Terramin Clay won't show in the refractometer.

The only thing that you'll see in the refractometer is sugars. That means that a younger plant or spring wheat variety would measure high on the brix scale but actually be representative of sugars, not nutrition. We know from our field grown grasses that they harvest naturally with no simple sugars. That said, I expect that if you tested the crops at exactly the same time in the harvest cycle, a higher brix on one vs. another would show more promise.

What are your thoughts on this?

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

Other Posts
»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
»Seed Issues
»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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your post about Brix testing, has feck all to do with wheatgrass growing, both nuke r us and the twister (name has stuck now jj) have both conceded the point in your posts, yet you guys still go on in clinical depth about it. any newcomers to the site trying to grow a tray or two would be turned off by trying to read into it.

people want simple plain english help and ideas, instead you guys go too deep into the complexites of einstein type stuff. the only one who imparts plain in your face growing tips for idiots advice is wheatenergy, and yeah he can seem to have sat on a big hornets nest, but his curt posts are understandable when he has to rehash the same simple truths of growing over and over andover.

his posts will carry the same message in essence till the day that people kop on to themselves. you two guys know thiis to be true (you are guys?) which is why you talk so much crap.

and jj43 you are a bit sleazy with your personal attacks on wheatenergy. your foul sly comment about his deceased wife(R.I.P.) and then your quip about his lack of mobility on the utube video, show what a truly shallow person you are.
such comments on a site which is i assume is frequented by persons with many illness's or ailments, is not really what one would expect to read from a senior member. shame on you

Apparently until a person SPRAINS the Achillies Tendon to almost the tear

and then Was off my feet for a week instead of 6-8 weeks as ordered by my orthopedic surgeon. The week off myself and mmy wife who also was not amblutory were cared for by my pregnant daughter....she also ran the wheatgrass nursery at the same time.

Yes JJ43(the twister) IS a genuine nose picker who learned a few BIG WORDS but was for sure DRAGGED up instead of being brought up.

Some people belive in God.

Agnostic people know that there is something out there to believe in...but have not yet found it...but still search.

But JJ43 (the twister) has to do poop in his pants one time or wear a diaper....

BECAUSE he SURELY comes from the BOWELS of this Earth.

I hope that the NEXT Gimp or retarded or missing a body part person you goof on jj43 (the twister)....

Kicks you in the balls ..right next to.where you brains are.

Have a GREAT day....STAY GREEN & STAY FRESH

Just for fun I've been using my digital Refractometer to Brix Test fresh grown Wheatgrass Juice and frozen Wheatgrass Juice. My tests for the Frozen read 1.2, 1.1, and 1.1. My tests for the Fresh read 7.1, 6.9, and 6.9. I have tested as high as 7.7 for the Fresh in the past, but that was when I was using Carrot Juice (with pulp) in my Fertilizer Mix, which I am no longer doing, due to the work involved. I've just bought some Soluble Seaweed Extract from Worm's Way to try in my fertilizer mix, in addition to the Ocean Water and Clay.
By the way, I'm looking for a new source of Wheat Berries. My long-time source (Crystal Organics) has gone out of business. I'm using the last of the seed that I have. I've tried Montana Wheat and was not pleased. Does anyone here have a favorite supplier? I'm somewhat distressed over not being able to find good seed........Wheatgrass Yogi

Your choice...Organic Certified of course...
Natural Way Mills Trust.....in Minnisota.

I use ONLY Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries grown for sprouting.

Hi Wheatgrass Yogi,

Good luck with your seed source. Wheatenergy provides this information in the previous post.

The testing results that you show track with expectations. That being that the tray grown fresh juice shows higher simple sugars and the frozen wheatgrass (which I assume is outdoor grown) shows lower simple sugars.

As the simple sugars diminish as the wheatgrass grows, I believe that this means that the value of brix with wheatgrass is relative, not absolute. By that I mean that a reading on its own doesn't mean anything (i.e. a 7 is not better than a 6). However, a higher reading on one tray (say a 7) vs. another tray (say a 6) at exactly the same age would suggest it is a better tray.

Have you experimented at all with different air flows and light to see how this affects brix. Your finding would be very interesting.

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

Other Posts
»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
»Seed Issues
»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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To let us all know where you purchase your CERTIFIED ORGANIC seeds from also???????

They ARE certified ORGANIC ....Correct?

I would gladly send seed to the Wheatgrass Yogi if we could.

Our seed is all self-sourced from our own fields. This allows us to very tightly control the drying of the wheat berries. It is believed that the massive storage bins in use today are the source of molds. They are so large that they prevent proper drying from taking place. You can hear a little more about these thoughts from Doug Kaufman at http://www.knowthecause.com

In Canada, the wheat marketing board forbids the sale of seed direct to consumers. The law requires all seed (but not seed your use yourself) to pass through the board. For this reason, we neither use a supplier nor can we be the supplier.

I honestly don't know if that is the case in the U.S. but from a Canadian perspective this presents a pretty significant problem. All seed available from the wheat marketing board is treated with methyl-mercury which is a fungicide treatment (yuck!). This affects most seed available to Canadians (at least) and means that if your seed has a copper like color, be aware that is has been treated with methyl-mercury which most find very objectionable.

This is another reason why the approach that we use can be so helpful to people, it ensures that Canadians avoid methyl-mercury. Does anyone know about the the wheat marketing board and methyl-mercury regulations in the United States?

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

Other Posts
»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
»Seed Issues
»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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Verified organic means third party inspected and confirmed. Certified organic means the grower vouches for it according to set standards. These include ones such as USDA Organic.

This means that you, I and likely most on this board rely on the integrity of the supply chain. When you see something organic from Mexico, South Africa, China or the good ol' USA, you rely solely on trust unless it is listed as Verified Organic.

Let me tell you who I trust. I trust our grocery store Loblaws. The reason that I trust them is that they put absolutely no weight on the growers claim. They had discovered massive amounts of conventional produce in the "organic" supply chain and therefore, everything listed as organic is independently verified by them.

I also trust what we do. I see it, touch it and do it. We are totally vertically integrated and nothing is ever left to chance. Our chain of custody is: DynamicGreens --> Customer.

I'm not saying that I don't trust your chain of custody. It is just fair to point out that your seed has this cycle: unknown farmer --> out of state supplier --> your business --> claim to customer.

__________________
Derek Stem
DynamicGreens Wheatgrass

Other Posts
»Why Flash Frozen
»Allergic Reactions To Mold
»Mold Pics
»Storage
»Brix Tests
»How Much?
»Gluten
»Seed Issues
»IBS Links

Find Us In "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz
Back cover, pages 95, 105, 107, 110, 112, 197-200 & 229

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