Meat products can provide a number of challenges for the person that needs to measure pH. Oils and solids from the meat can coat the sensitive glass membrane surface and/or clog the reference junction. The FC2323 pH electrode that is supplied with the HI98163 professional pH meter is designed specifically for measuring pH in meat. Design considerations include a stainless steel piercing blade around conic tip shape probe for easy penetration, an open junction that resists clogging, and a Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) food grade plastic body that is resistant to most chemicals and solvents, including sodium hypochlorite. It has high abrasion resistance, mechanical strength and resistance to ultraviolet and nuclear radiation. PVDF is also resistant to fungal growth. The FC2323 is an ideal general-purpose pH electrode for meat that connects to the HI98163 meter with a quick-connect, waterproof DIN connector, allowing for a secure, non-threaded attachment.
Besides being supplied with a unique pH electrode for meat, the HI98163 has the Hanna’s unique CAL Check™ feature that alerts the user to potential problems during the calibration process. This is a very important for the food processor since it is likely that the probe will be coated with the solids found in the food product being measured. This coating can easily lead to errors in pH measurement.  By comparing previous calibration data to the current calibration, the meter will inform the user, with display prompts, when the probe needs to be cleaned, replaced, or if the pH buffer might be contaminated.  After calibration, the overall probe condition is displayed on screen as a percentage from 0 to 100% in increments of 10%. The probe condition is affected by both the offset and slope characteristics of the pH electrode, both of which can be found in the GLP data.