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Color-Coding Technology: 50 Shades of Grey Pills?

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

Color-coding technology may be one of the most valuable tools to consider when it comes to prescription medications. The rainbow of pills lining the shelves of our local drug stores do not simply appeal to an eccentric and liberal palate; they are a product of color-coding technology that is used to provide security to both the patient and the healthcare industry. Pharmaceutical companies know the importance of quality control and color application in the production of prescription medications and the equipment needed to maintain safety. Spectrophotometers provide the essential piece of technology needed to monitor and develop pharmaceutical products that are easy to identify, which can play a crucial role towards eliminating the extensive margin of human error.

Although advancements in pharmaceuticals and medications have led to a significant increase in quality of life, the variety and sheer number of prescription medications on the market today have greatly increased the numbers of errors. Today, more medical mistakes are linked to prescription drugs than any other cause, and have created a crisis in the healthcare industry that has led to financial and even fatal consequences.

Taking pill identification beyond “Little, Yellow”

Research by the Institute of Medicine has shown that approximately four out of five adults take some form of medication every week, and nearly one-third of those individuals are taking a least five or more various pills per day. With the number of prescription drugs at an all-time high, the ability to differentiate between liquid, powder, capsule, or pill is getting more and more difficult and the human eye alone cannot accurately differentiate between them. Added to the fact that prescriptions today are labeled with names that sound and look very similar, any miscalculations can have extremely harmful outcomes.That is why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and the Division of Medication Error Prevention and Analysis (DMEPA) are all working together to create and enforce stricter guidelines for specific labeling and advancement in spectrophotometers, color-technology, and the color-coding of prescription medications.

Can Spectral Analysis Be Used to Monitor Fluoride in Drinking Water?

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

Fluoride is a common additive in drinking water around the world, but careful monitoring its concentration for safety and effectiveness is important. There are several methods commonly used for quantification of fluorine in drinking water: Fluoride Ion Selective Electrode (F-ISE) and spectral analysis. These methods are both effective, but we will explore how spectral analysis may provide a more simple method for fluorine quantification, as well as its uses for monitoring the safety and quality of various water sources around the world.

Fluoride is a common additive in our drinking water supply. Spectral analysis uses colorimetric technology to identify fluoride compounds in water samples and quantifies them both rapidly and effectively. Image Source: Flickr user Steve A Johnson

Visual Assessment: When the Human Eye Is Just Not Enough for Accurate Color Measurement

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

The human eye is made up of over two million parts making it second only to the brain in complexity. Image Source: Flickr user Ali T

As I drove down the road today, the colors painting the landscape reminded me why I love this time of year. In my part of the country the trees are beginning to turn bright hues of golden-yellow and reddish-orange. Every day I am amazed by the stunning visual assessment of color that our human eyes are capable of. Fall is also the time of year that has me reflecting on the colors that line the isles of my local store as I contemplate my next autumn-inspired wardrobe or décor purchase, or comforting crockpot meal. Once again the visual assessment of color invigorates my senses… and my purchasing choices, too.

The amazing human eye

The eye is one of the most important and complex parts of the human body. Consisting of over two million working parts and is second only to the brain in complexity. It is no wonder why vision is such an essential part of who we are and the way we perceive the world. Our visual assessment directs the way we feel, our choices in clothing, the foods we eat, and the products we buy.

We use our sense of sight on a daily basis to make decisions and choices, and despite variations in visual assessment from one person to the next, it is still more consistent than our sense of taste or smell. With the ability to decode up to 50 shades of gray and over 10 million different color combinations, it is no wonder that both scientists and manufacturers want to know more about how color influences the population.

Spectrophotometric Analysis: The Nuances of Coffee Bean Color During the Roasting Process

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

The process of roasting coffee begins with heat and a swelling of pastel green beans. First shedding their silver skins, cycles of bursts and darkenings soon follow, transforming the color of the beans from green to tan to the deepest browns. Eventually, the beans shrink, ending their life cycles in a quick, smooth blackening and hardening of their skins.

Coffee beans undergo a series of changes from the green beans, observed at the top right, to the darker colors that occur upon roasting.
Image Source: Flickr CC user Jessica Spengler

The physical changes that occur during the roasting process might seem straightforward; however, hundreds of chemical reactions are occurring in tandem. Proteins, polysaccharides, lipids and organic acids undergo decarboxylation and dehydration events as Maillard browning and caramelization occur among redox and polymerization reactions. Together, these events result in the disappearance of some reactants and the appearance of many more, which themselves add flavor and aroma to the beans. Importantly, roastmasters have used and still use color to determine when a roast has undergone the multitude of chemical changes described above and is considered “finished.”

Using Carrageenan Color Analysis to Improve the Visual Appeal of Food Products

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

The holiday season has come and gone, and I find myself, as usual, having consumed more than my fair share of sweets. With the arrival of the New Year, I’m trying to cut back on sugary foods, but ice cream is one treat that’s not getting scratched from my list (it is in the dairy/protein family anyway, right?). Honestly, I find it hard to avoid most creamy-textured foods—which makes sense, since they’re often specifically engineered to be appealing.

The rich creaminess of ice cream makes it appealing both visually and texturally. Image Source: Flickr user gordonramsaysubmissions (CC BY 2.0)

Carrageenan is not an ingredient that pops up on most consumers’ radars when they check labels, yet it’s responsible for improving the texture and appearance of many of the food products they consume daily. Extracted from an edible red seaweed and converted into powdered form, this natural derivative is added to a variety of foods, from dairy products and beverages to processed meats1. And though carrageenan powder is white in appearance, it often remains undetectable thanks to carrageenan color analysis and instrumental quality control.

Sensory Analysis: Using Visible Spectrophotometry for Quality Detection in Fish

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

Both fresh and frozen fish must undergo rigid testing before it reaches the supermarket or frozen foods aisle. Image Source: Flickr user Frank Kovalchek

There is perhaps nothing better than the taste of fresh-caught fish, and if you’re lucky enough to have a fisherman in your family, you probably understand what I mean. However, the fishing season only lasts so long, and soon it’s necessary to turn to local fish markets or the frozen food aisle to keep this healthy and delicious protein option in our diets. Supermarket fish comes from a variety of sources, and the methods that are used to process and package it depends on quality measurements through sensory analysis.

Sensory analysis involves the human perception of food through sight, smell, taste, and touch. However, human perception has its limits and is highly subjective, making quality evaluation and consistency difficult to achieve. Visual perception is the most powerful factor in food selection and greatly affects consumer decisions, yet color perception varies from person to person, and humans experience many challenges with color memory. This is why color measurement instrumentation plays a vital role in sensory analysis for quality control. Visible spectrophotometers use human eye technology to emulate the way we see color, but also can quantify colors objectively and consistently. Assessment of fish quality is dependent of visual spectrophotometry to obtain accurate information to determine freshness, spoilage, and/or food safety through the use of sensory analysis.

Color Analysis of Non-Uniform Food Products: The Right Instrumentation for Textured Samples

Posted on Feb 12, 2025 by HunterLab

Food samples, such as cookies, require non-contact color measurement to maintain the true color and texture of the food product.
Image Source: Flickr user Vegan Feast Catering

Color analysis is an important part of safety and marketability in the food product industry. Numerous studies have shown that visual acceptance is the first thing consumers rely on when making choices in foods. Food color is so influential it can even change the way humans perceive taste and quality in foods. In fact, the brain has used color as an indication of freshness and food safety since the beginning of time, so it is no wonder that it is still considered an important feature of food products today.

Nearly every food product relies on color analysis during some point in the process it takes for raw materials to reach supermarket shelves. Whether developing a color analysis protocol for determining the ripeness of a crop, during in-line color and process monitoring, or for final product quality analysis, many major food industry leaders rely on spectrophotometric technology to maintain quality and safety standards in their products.

Non-uniform color samples are often poured and measured for true color analysis that best resembles human perspective.
Image Source: Flickr user Procsilas Moscas

For accurate color analysis of poured and placed food items, a non-contact measurement system is ideal. When a sample is measured from a focal point that sees the sample shades and hues as they are seen by the consumer perspective, the most reliable data can be obtained. This information can then be used to create a color-matching system and ensures consistency between sample batches. Consumers place their expectations on food products to maintain consistent color every time and associate these consistencies with quality products and brands.

Interested in a little light reading?

"Color-Coding Technology: 50 Shades of Grey Pills?"

"Can Spectral Analysis Be Used to Monitor Fluoride in Drinking Water?"

"Visual Assessment: When the Human Eye Is Just Not Enough for Accurate Color Measurement"

"Spectrophotometric Analysis: The Nuances of Coffee Bean Color During the Roasting Process"

"Using Carrageenan Color Analysis to Improve the Visual Appeal of Food Products"

"Sensory Analysis: Using Visible Spectrophotometry for Quality Detection in Fish"

"Color Analysis of Non-Uniform Food Products: The Right Instrumentation for Textured Samples"

Color-Coding Technology: 50 Shades of Grey Pills?

Can Spectral Analysis Be Used to Monitor Fluoride in Drinking Water?

Visual Assessment: When the Human Eye Is Just Not Enough for Accurate Color Measurement

The amazing human eye

Spectrophotometric Analysis: The Nuances of Coffee Bean Color During the Roasting Process

Using Carrageenan Color Analysis to Improve the Visual Appeal of Food Products

Sensory Analysis: Using Visible Spectrophotometry for Quality Detection in Fish

Color Analysis of Non-Uniform Food Products: The Right Instrumentation for Textured Samples