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Color is a critical quality component for spices like paprika. The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) has sampling and measurement standards for paprika, and a spectrophotometer from HunterLab effectively quantifies paprika color values for quality assurance.

How Paprika and Oleoresin Spices Are Made

Paprika is obtained from the ripened, ground, and dried fruit pods of the Capsicum annuum species. The Capsicum annuum peppers used for paprika are sweet and mild with little to no capsaicin, which is a heat compound.

The Capsicum annuum plant is grown until its peppers are mature and have ripened to a red color. The fully ripened peppers are picked for paprika to give the spice its signature red color. The pepper seeds are removed, and the fruit pods are dried in the sun or specially constructed dryers. After drying, producers grind peppers into powder.

Oleoresin paprika — or paprika extract — is the oil-soluble extract obtained by extracting lipids and pigments from Capsicum annuum linn or Capsicum frutescens fruits. The oleoresin comprises capsaicin, capsanthin, and capsorubin, giving the product a strong taste and odor. Oleoresin paprika is a natural dye that colors foods a deep red hue.

The desired red color of canned tomato paste comes from a mature tomato fruit with a sweet flavor and high concentration of lycopene. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the tomato paste score (TPS) to grade the product and ensure it meets quality and consumer expectations.

Color and appearance matter because they are the first purchasing factors customers consider. When customers cook with tomato paste, they have certain expectations tomato paste manufacturers must meet to indicate the product's freshness.

What Color Should Tomato Paste Be? 

Consumers expect tomato paste from fresh tomatoes to be red or deep red. When the USDA first established tomato paste color classifications, ratings relied on visual assessments.

The USDA has three color classifications for tomato paste:

1. Grade A: The tomato paste is a “good color” of a bright red and scores 45 to 50 points.
2. Grade C: The tomato paste has a “fairly good color,” generally red with a dull or brown cast, and scores 40 to 44 points.
3. Substandard: The tomato paste fails to meet Grade C standards and scores 0 to 39 points.

What Causes Color Changes in Tomato Paste?

Various factors may lead to browning or other color changes, including:

• Oxidation: Tomato paste may be exposed to the air during canning due to improper sealing, which leads to discoloration.
• High temperatures: Tomato paste may lose pigments due to excessive heat during canning or storage.
• pH levels: Tomato paste may turn yellow as it ages if the acidity is too high.
• Light exposure: Tomato paste may lose color over time due to UV light exposure.

Tomato soup is a popular comfort food, and organic varieties combine wholesome nostalgia with healthy benefits. Organic tomato soup manufacturers use color management standards to produce soups that meet customers' expectations and keep them coming back for more.

Benefits of Organic Food

Organic foods offer several potential benefits, including:

• More nutrients: Organic food may have minor to moderate nutrient increases like antioxidants and flavonoids.
• Less pesticide residue: Organic food often has lower levels of pesticide residue due to the types of pesticides used in organic farming and the lack of airborne pesticides from conventional farms.
• Reduced metals: Organic food may have lower levels of cadmium — a metal that can be toxic in high concentrations — compared to food grown using conventional methods since organic farming does not use synthetic fertilizers.
• Lower bacteria amounts: Organic food often has lower levels of the dangerous types of bacteria than food produced through conventional methods.

Tomato sauce is a thin tomato product with garlic, onion, herbs, and spices used as a base for sauces and dishes. Food manufacturers must create quality tomato sauce to establish a good reputation, gain loyal customers and increase sales. Color consistency encourages consumers to choose your tomato sauce every time they make their favorite recipe.

Measuring tomato sauce color increases consumer adoption in these ways:

1. Ensures Consistency

Consistency in your tomato sauce color — and its overall quality — creates a sense of safety for your customers. Consumers are familiar with a product's desired color and expect your tomato sauce to match that image. If it does, they can use it confidently, knowing your product contains fresh, high-quality ingredients. 

2. Builds Brand Trust

The correct tomato sauce color fosters trust in your brand, leading to more future purchases. Consumers will expect the best quality products from your brand every time they purchase. When your tomato sauce is a consistent color, your customers will believe your company excels in other areas too. Their trust in your brand can lead to more sales for your company.

Tomato paste and tomato sauce have different textures, flavors, and uses in culinary dishes. Tomato paste is a concentrated paste made from cooked, strained, and pureed tomatoes. Tomato sauce is a thin product made from pureed, simmered, and seasoned tomatoes.

Customers have specific color and appearance expectations for paste and sauce. Tomato product manufacturers must understand these perceptions and use effective color measurement and management solutions to create products that match expectations.

Spice color measurement presents several challenges, from controlling costs for more expensive spices to maintaining effective quality control procedures. The ColorFlex L2 from HunterLab easily addresses these and other measurement difficulties, reducing wastage and ensuring accuracy. 

The Challenges of Spice Color Control

Spice color control comes with several unique hurdles, including:

• Meeting industry-standard control regulations, such as those from the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA)
• Measuring color as it changes throughout stages of production and considering the influence of maturity on color
• Managing costs in spectral data measurement, especially for more expensive spice varieties
• Maintaining quality control by identifying variations that could indicate compromised food safety 

How the ColorFlex L2 Helps

The ColorFlex L2 is a durable, reliable color measurement solution that takes up minimal space on your benchtop. It works on everything from powders to granules, making it ideal for measuring spices throughout various stages of production. This solution includes all scales and indexes in the food industry, including ASTA. 

It enables you to control costs, even for expensive spice varieties, by measuring small samples and reducing the wastage of end products. You can even export your results to monitor data and safety over time.

Vegetable oils like soybean oil play a pivotal role in many products and applications, from snack food manufacturing to biodiesel fuel development, commercial frying, and personal hygiene goods production. Its color directly correlates to integrity and customer perception, demonstrating the need for accurate measurements throughout manufacturing processes.

The Importance of Color Measurement in Vegetable Oil

Quantifying color in vegetable oils is essential for many reasons:

• Quality: Color and clarity are primary quality and purity indicators in edible oils. Consistent measurement helps ensure adherence to implemented quality assurance methodologies and supports consumer confidence.
• Money savings: Refining processes can substantially impact oil color. Establishing that color falls within tolerances at each stage helps minimize waste and prevent downstream bleaching and blending issues that can be costlier to resolve.
• Conformance with industry standards: The American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) issues industry guidelines for oil analysis, including color measurement methods, suitable color models, and standards. Manufacturing contracts and specifications often require following the organization's frameworks.
• Regulatory compliance: Vegetable oil processing and manufacturing facilities must comply with regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Both consider color to help ensure quality and consumer safety.