What Is the Best Way to Measure the Colour of Flour?

The colour of any consumable tells buyers that the product is safe and healthy for their needs. Learn why you need to measure the colour of your flour and how HunterLab can help below.

Measure the Right Type of Flour

Flour comes in many varieties, including:

• All-purpose: Great for any non-specific flour needs, including pastries, gravies, and bread. It offers a soft, regular texture, as the wheat grain has been mostly removed.
• Whole wheat: Opposite to all-purpose flour and includes all of the wheat kernels, resulting in a more nutritious but slightly harder blend. It's good for dough, crackers, and rolls.
• Self-rising: Ideal for muffins, pancakes, and pastries that need to rise in the cooking process without using yeast. While wheat and all-purpose flour have a broad range of applications, self-rising flour includes salt and baking soda and should only be used when a recipe specifically calls for it.

Flour can also be bleached or unbleached, which will further affect its appearance.

When measuring the colour of flour is your goal, it's crucial to ensure you're using a sample from the correct type. Each flour type can have small variances in colour and texture, which can affect your outcome when working with highly sensitive tools like the ones you'll find in HunterLab's catalog of spectrophotometers.

Why Use Spectrophotometers for Flour Colour Measurement?

At a glance, most people don't see much of a difference in various flour colours. However, they will certainly notice when the flour colour is off, especially if it's too dark. Discoloration can make consumers hesitant to use your brand's flour, and it may turn them away from returning to your products in the future. That's why it's vital to do everything you can as a manufacturer, producer, or distributor to manage the colour of flour.

Spectrophotometers can measure the colour of a flour sample using common food industry colour scales to provide you with a precise numerical analysis of coloration. In seconds, you'll see exactly how close your colour measurement is to your preference so that you can adjust your process or move forward with packaging and distribution.

Discover ColorFlex L2

At HunterLab, our flour colour measurement tool is ColorFlex L2, a compact benchtop spectrophotometer that uses geometry to manage precise calculations based on human colour perception. This tool helps you measure samples easily and without mess. Designed for fine powders like flour and baking powder, our equipment is ready to deliver with precision and expedience and collect your data by connecting to your chosen printer or computer.

Find new ways to make your products better every day. Request a quote on HunterLab equipment today.