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With its compact size and convenient access, a benchtop spectrophotometer works well for laboratory color analysis. These devices bring particular value to the food industry, as consumers judge quality based on appearance. A precise benchtop measurement solution lets producers control quality and identify potential production issues to reduce waste and meet consumer expectations. Knowing what to look for as you choose a spectrophotometer for food color measurement can help you select the best one for your needs.

Key Features to Consider

The essential features to consider include:

• Wavelength range: The solution must work within the range of light you need to collect. For food, the ideal wavelength range is in the visible spectrum. 
• Sensitivity: The equipment must be able to detect minute changes in light intensity for the most accurate measurements. 
• Resolution: The device must be able to capture high-accuracy spectral resolution data.
• Color scales: The solution must include the standard color scales or indices used for spectrophotometric measurement of food color.

Color measurement and spectrophotometry support the food industry in several ways. Keep reading to learn how important these processes are to this industry and what solutions you can integrate for your food products.

The color standards reference chart for potato chip analysis is used to monitor and control variations and meet consumer expectations. Image Source: Flickr’ user Molly Mason

Potato chips might just be the greatest mistake that ever happened to the culinary world. Although the origin of this snack food phenomenon is still disputed today1, potato chip popularity continues to grow throughout the processed food industry. Today’s choices include a multitude of shapes, sizes, textures and colors. However, they all begin with the same basic process of taking raw potatoes and transforming them into the perfect bite-sized snack. Staying competitive in this growing market requires objective analysis to ensure both the color consistency and quality that consumers demand.  Spectrophotometers are the leading tool used to monitor the color standards reference chart for potato chip analysis and improve production quality in today’s competitive market.

Coffee is quickly taking over around the world as the drink of the new millennium. I am not talking about the boring bargain roast with which our grandparents stocked their pantries in the 1950’s. Today’s coffee options are nearly limitless, and creating the right coffee blend has developed into both a science and an art. Just like other food products in the agricultural industry, careful grading systems and protocols are being used to determine quality in raw coffee beans and create the right coffee blend by meeting precise roasting standards with color measurement instrumentation.

Coffee is quickly taking over the world as a preferred beverage option. Creating the perfect roasts and blends depends on the highest quality of color measurement and classification systems. Image Source: Flickr user SPT Photographe

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.”

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.

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.