Professor A. F. W. Brix was the first to measure the density of plant juices by using a hydrometer. The winemakers at the time wanted a measure to determine the quality of grapes purchased. Professor Brix determined a direct relationship between the density of the grape juice and the quality of the grape.
It wasn’t until, over a hundred years later, that Dr. Carey Reams developed the BRIX= QUALITY charts breaking down the BRIX values into four general quality levels for most fruits and vegetables.
BRIX is a measure of the total soluble solids (TSS) in a given weight of plant juice.
BRIX is the summation of the pounds of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones and other solids in one hundred pounds of any particular plant juice.
BRIX varies directly with plant QUALITY.
WWW.crossroads.ws/brixbook/BBook.htm is a book (36 pages), provided free of charge, that further explains the history of Brix, the use of a refractometer and the BRIX=QUALITY charts for most fruits and vegetables. If you are either a farmer or a backyard gardener, I will guarantee you will read this book a dozen times.
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