FAQ - Analysis On-Site

On-site kits are complete, packaged kits that require no additional materials. Each kit comes with the requisite amounts of enzyme, a standard, and all other necessary reagents.

The exception is the Dry Forage Kit, for which you will need to supply a kitchen blender and distilled water.

No additional materials are required for the vast majority of on-site test kits. Everything you need is included in the kit.

For Dry Forage Kits only: you will need to supply a kitchen blender and distilled water.

You can achieve fast and accurate results from water and other aqueous samples, including extracts of food, plants, and soil. Non-aqueous solvents interfere with the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and must not be used.

Saltwater samples can be analyzed with many NECi nitrate and phosphate test kit systems — specify this when ordering so your kit can be adjusted accordingly.

Physiological samples such as blood and plasma can also be analyzed, as their salt and protein content generally presents no significant interference.

Turbid or colored samples can be analyzed in standard range systems, but must be filtered and/or centrifuged for low range results.

No, they cannot be used interchangeably. Both kits measure nitrate content in animal feed and forage across a range of 0–9,000 ppm nitrate (0–2,000 ppm nitrate-N), but each requires a different method of sample preparation.

The Green Forage Nitrate Test Kit is designed for samples where sap or a wet extract is available, obtained by squeezing with a garlic press or pliers.

The Dry Forage Nitrate Test Kit is for samples that are too dry to squeeze sap from. The sample is blended using a grinder, then added to water to make an extract.

After sample preparation, the chemistry and kit format are the same for both.

NECi offers on-site phosphate kits formatted for water and soil samples. Standard-range kits test between 0 and 20 ppm phosphate. A low-range water option is also available, testing between 0.5 and 5 ppm phosphate.

If you need a different testing range, contact NECi — if possible, a kit can be formatted to meet your specific needs.

NECi's nitrate test kits use an enzyme called nitrate reductase to convert the nitrate in your sample to nitrite. Once the Griess color reagents are added, nitrite becomes visible as a pink solution. The darker the pink, the more nitrate is present.

Results are read by comparison to a color chart included in the kit, or for greater accuracy, using NECi's handheld dual-wavelength photometer which measures absorbance at 540 nm.

NECi's phosphate test kits use an enzyme that reacts with all of the phosphate in a sample to convert it to a new molecule. Unlike the nitrate kits, no color change occurs — instead, absorbance is measured in the UV range at 340 nm.

A spectrophotometer or NECi's handheld dual-wavelength photometer is required to read phosphate results. The amount of newly formed product detected correlates directly to the amount of phosphate in the sample.