Expert: Alan Ward - 8/15/2007

Question
QUESTION: How can I convert degree plato of beer to % Saccharine

ANSWER: Idowu,

In general terms, °Brix, °Plato and °Balling are interchangeable. All three of these scales express the weight percentage of sucrose solutions and relate this weight percentage to specific gravity.

{Plato/(258.6-([Plato/258.2]*227.1)}+1 = Specific gravity

To make sure you are doing your math properly, convert 12° Plato to specific gravity. The correct conversion yields 1.04838.
example:

{12/(258.6-([12/258.2]*227.1)}+1 = SG
{12/(258.6-(0.04648*227.1)}+1 = SG
{12/(258.6-10.5546)}+1 = SG
{12/248.0454}+1 = SG
{0.04838}+1 = 1.04838 = SG

Does this answer your question?  If not please send me more information and I will try and help more.
Alan


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for you good reply but for clarity:Original Gravity of beer are expressed as Degree Plato,and in some cases are expressed as Degree Sacharine,is there any relationship between these two units,if so what is the conversion formula?

Answer
Idowu

I must start by saying that I have not heard or seen any one measureing degrees of Saccharine.

Having said that  I do know that Saccharification is defined as:
The breakdown of complex carbohydrates into sugars that can be fermented into beer,

I also know that a Saccharometer is a type of hydrometer that measures the amount of sugar in a solution. I also know that old brewers used a Saccharometer to test for the amount of sugar in a solution.  We use a hydrometer today which is a type of Saccharometer.  This is used to find the specific gravity of a brew.



Specific Gravity
This is the one which is easiest to explain. Specific Gravity is the relative density (mass per unit volume) of a liquid, relative to that of water at a specified temperature. So, if your hydrometer is calibrated for 68°F (20°C), distilled water should read 1.000. A liquid twice as dense as water would have a specific gravity of 2.000, and so on.
The abbreviation SG is often used for Specific Gravity.

Plato, Balling, Brix
These three saccharometer scales are all very similar, and one often sees them used interchangably. There are differences between them, but I donít get too hot under the collar over them. I sometimes like to think that the biggest difference between them is who uses them: Plato by brewers, Brix by winemakers, and Balling by folks with old saccharometers.
These scales correspond to the percent sucrose in a pure aqueous solution (i.e., just table sugar and water), on a weight (or mass) basis. Thus, a solution consisting exclusively of 100 grams of Sucrose and 900 grams of water will be 10° Plato (or Brix, or Balling).

A brewer says that the saccharometer reading of a wort in degrees Plato has that many percent extract, even though the wort contains other sugars besides sucrose, to say nothing of dextrins, proteins and protein fractions, hop components, etc. It works for them close enough to get the job done.

With this in mind I believe if you take the formula I sent yesterday you can find the % Saccharine.  In short I believe you can use a one to one relationship for Plato and Balling.  I also believe that what you are seeking is actually Balling.  Balling can be read as Plato.

I hope this helps.  If not I will have to do some more research.

Alan