Dairy Industry Colour Standards

Colour is a critical quality evaluation indicator in dairy product manufacturing, as it helps determine freshness and purity in both raw inputs and finished goods. Measuring at each step is also crucial to ensure products meet standards and gauge the impacts of processing and storage on colour. Industry benchmarks help manufacturers set allowable tolerances and form a basis for scientific comparison to support consistency and quality.

Colour Standards That Apply to the Dairy Industry

Numerous colour standards apply to dairy products at both the governmental and industry levels.

All covered food manufacturing and processing facilities within the U.S. are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight. The agency issues standards on colour tolerances, colour additives, and acceptable measuring methods. Compliance with these standards is mandatory to prevent financial penalties. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set voluntary standards for colour in milk and butter products to help create consistency between manufacturers for positive consumer perceptions. 

Additionally, the industry's American Dairy Product Institute™ determines and maintains standards for its members, including colour tolerances for lactose and whey.

The Best Way to Meet Dairy Industry Colour Standards

Manufacturers who rely on their workforce to conduct manual colour comparisons leave their quality control processes open to errors resulting from perception differences and visual fatigue. Simple colour-measurement devices introduce similar challenges with data limitations or poor construction. High-quality spectrophotometers are the most comprehensive solution for gaining scientific insight and objective data.

Benchtop ColorFlex L2 and Aeros from HunterLab deliver maximum value in compact form factors.

ColorFlex L2's 45°a:0° annular illuminated optical geometry replicates human colour perception, so the results you get in the lab are the same colours your customers see on the shelves. We've created it for production efficiency with expanded versatility to quantify data in opaque solids, liquids, and powders, as well as translucent solids and liquids. It's compatible with all common industry scales and indices and easily integrates into your Statistical Process Controls (SPCs) and Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) to enhance trend analysis.

Aeros is the gold standard for non-contact measurement, as it's a smart spectrophotometer that offers auto-sensing and auto-positioning for sample height. Benefit from speed and accuracy with Aeros — this unit delivers the data you need in 5 seconds and features a generous 27.5-square-inch measuring surface and the market's largest rotating sample platform. The non-contact design also reduces contamination possibility and eliminates extended setup and cleanup times.

Take quality control for sliced and block cheeses to a supplier facility or onto the production floor with MiniScan 4500L. Our portable spectrophotometer offers comfortable hand-held convenience and measurement consistency without compromising on accuracy or quality. A large LCD display helps eliminate data-reading errors, and the MiniScan 4500L stores up to 100 custom tolerance configurations for flexibility in capturing data on a wide range of products.

Measure Dairy Product Colour Confidently With HunterLab

HunterLab has been the dairy industry's most trusted spectrophotometer manufacturer for over 70 years. We engineer all our colour measurement solutions for unparalleled accuracy, versatility, value, and efficiency to help meet your quality, consistency, conformance, and classification needs.

Reach out to our experts online to learn more or find the best model for your specific application.