Measuring white sugar's colour is important for its visual appeal and overall quality. Because sugar is an additive, it can also determine the quality of the food it's added to, making its colour measurement that much more vital in white sugar processing.
Whether raw or liquid, white sugar has to undergo several steps of refining and processing before it is added to your favorite baked good or tea. When measuring the colour of your white sugar product, consider these best practices.
The International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA) is an organization that offers methods and values for proper sugar colour development. With the ICUMSA colour scale, you can test your sugar's colour from creation to the final product using white sugar's specific range.
In general, the goal is to measure the amount of yellowness present in sugar samples — the residual molasses following the refining process. Purified refined sugar will be free of any impurities regarding taste and appearance, enhancing its sweetness. The ICUMSA scale shows lower values for fewer impurities, causing white sugar to have the lowest ICUMSA score of 45 compared to other forms of sugar.
White sugar's quality is based on colour, sucrose content, moisture, filterability, and grain — all characteristics that contribute to its overall purity. Using the ICUMSA colour scale in conjunction with a spectrophotometer can provide the purest results.
A spectrophotometer will measure sugar's absorbance of light across different wavelengths. Because white sugar is much lighter, it will absorb less light, resulting in its lower ICUMSA score. Alternatively, brown sugar will absorb the most light, with a higher ICUMSA value of around 1,000. Spectrophotometers can increase the efficiency of the sugar refining process as it can be done much faster with accurate, quality results.
HunterLab offers several spectrophotometers to measure the colour of white sugar, including the:
All products from HunterLab are individually CE-certified, making us a leader in colour measurement solutions. We strive to conquer the impossible to bring precise and accurate colour measurements to numerous industries requiring them. Reduce waste and improve your white sugar products through HunterLab's quality spectrophotometers.
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