Importance of Hi-tech Color Measurement in Foods

Colors have an important role in quality control of food products. It has been researched that the color hues of food influences customer’s purchasing decision. Starting from the manufacturer, supplier and to the marketer of any food item, all wish the product to have a good appeal overall and maintain the hue throughout a long time.

Food color measurement equipments like Portable spectrophotometer are often used by leading food processors for assuring the color chemical used in the product. They check and standardize the color or hues of the very basic ingredients so that they can further control the color of the final product. Also it can be utilized for managing color modifications throughout the processing, transit and storage process.

The products present in the food industry can be found in distinct shapes and sizes, they can be in solid form, or in liquid, they can be either powder or in paste form. Their opacity can be solid, transparent, translucent or opaque. To measure the color in translucent or opaque food products, reflection type instruments are used whereas for transparent material, transmission type of equipments are utilized.

Use of spectrophotometry will allow the user to utilize both reflectance and transmittance spectral optics across the complete visible light range which offers wavelength detection from 400 nm to 700 nm for delivering precise and highly accurate measurement. Equipments uses this principle are termed as portable spectrophotometer and are utilized for assessment and establishing quality control in processed food material. Can help scientists in research and development related to color modification. It works on the most renowned color indices, L*, a*, b*which are preferred by CIE standard.