Edible oils like palm oil, safflower oil, and olive oil have a distinctive color based on their ingredients and production techniques. Color measurement with a spectrophotometer can improve the production of edible oils, resulting in consistent quality and high sales.
Monitoring the color changes throughout the production of edible oils is crucial. At the start of production, spectrophotometers can monitor pigmentation levels in crude seeds. This data can predict if the edible oil product will have a higher pigmentation level than normal due to the seed's growing conditions.
Continuous color measurement can help determine necessary changes to make throughout processing to ensure the desired color outcome. The various chemical and physical refining processes — such as bleaching and filtering — give edible oil its desired color. These processes can be adjusted as needed based on an oil's intended use.
Measuring turbidity simultaneously with color can identify any sample crystallization and thermal currents within the sample. Crystallization and thermal currents occur due to improper sample temperature, which can cause inaccurate color measurement results as well as repeatability problems. Turbidity measurements can also identify any particulates and physical contaminants that may be present due to improper filtering.
Color measurement solutions like spectrophotometers provide automatic, accurate, and repeatable data. Edible oil manufacturers can use this data to improve the quality of the product. Color and turbidity measurements can indicate when further bleaching, blending, or filtering processes are required to give the edible oil the correct color and appearance. This information helps manufacturers avoid making uninformed decisions that would alter the product. The HunterLab Vista is the only spectrophotometer in the industry that measures color and haze simultaneously.
Measuring the color and turbidity of edible oil is essential for quality control. Slight color and haze variations can make a customer believe something is wrong with their product, even if the oil is fresh and clean. Color and turbidity measurements help with quality control by providing the data needed to optimize production processes like deodorizing, bleaching, and filtering. Reliable quality control methodologies lead to consistent color and appearance results and product output, which helps build consumer loyalty.
Continuously monitoring color throughout production saves valuable time. Having to apply additional bleaching and blending methods can be time-consuming, slowing your operation's output. Color data from a reliable spectrophotometer can prove when these processes are not needed, saving production time and getting your edible oil to market faster.
Color interpretations vary from one person to another due to physical capability, age, gender, and even psychological factors like fatigue, beliefs, and desires. These factors make visual perception subjective. Spectrophotometers remove subjectivity by providing quantifiable data to express a product's color. Data is more reliable than the human eye and reduces color communication problems.
Color measurements help edible oil manufacturers meet compliance standards. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture requires strict color measurement data if a company wishes to make health claims about a product.
HunterLab has more than 70 years of experience with color accuracy. We have the solutions and expertise to measure color in edible oils and other products.
Browse our color spectrophotometers for edible oils and feel free to contact us for more information.
Mr. Philips has spent the last 30 years in product development and management, technical sales, marketing, and business development in several industries. Today, he is the global market development manager for HunterLab, focused on understanding customer needs, providing appropriate solutions and education, and helping to solve customer color challenges across these industries and cultures.LinkedIn