Snack Foods Color Measurement Solutions

Why Does Snack Food Color Matter?

Color influences numerous areas, including:

Product quality: Color variations may indicate issues in the production process, such as overbaking or the wrong ingredient proportions.
Consumer preference: Color influences how people perceive flavor and quality, meaning it must be consistent for consumer satisfaction.
Brand identity: Consistent color helps maintain a good brand experience to foster customer loyalty.
Food safety: Color can show whether a product is stale or underbaked to promote a higher level of confidence in its safety.

Benefits of Spectrophotometers for Snack Food Color Measurement

Snack foods are quite varied, from potato chips to roasted nuts and pretzels, and from crackers to candy and peanut butter. They range in flavors that include sweet, sour, bitter, salty, savory, and even pungent. Measurement techniques will vary depending on the snack food type, which often includes coarse, nonhomogeneous, and irregularly shaped food products.

Spectrophotometers provide accurate measurements for various snack foods. Quantitative spectral data creates better accuracy, consistency, and reliability in food color assessment. Other techniques, such as visual analysis, are much more prone to error based on lighting conditions or the observer.

Spectrophotometers gather and report measurements according to industry-standard scales. Spectrophotometer data also verifies conformance with regulations related to color, such as those from the Food and Drug Administration, and industry standards.

Best Spectrophotometers for Snack Food Color Measurement

HunterLab delivers the following color measurement solutions tailored to the requirements of the snack food industry.

Aeros

This spectrophotometer accurately captures data for heavily textured and nonuniform samples, such as chips and crackers with multicolored flavorings and seasonings. It has auto-height positioning and can take and average 35 measurements in 5 seconds. Aeros measures according to industry-standard color scales like CIE L*a*b* and HunterLab and in indices including Baking Contrast Units.

Sample prep, presentation, and clean up are easy, and this device is versatile enough to measure color in packaged snack foods. Aeros also offers a large area of view, which enables the spectrophotometer to quickly and accurately average multiple measurements — the preferred approach for irregularly shaped samples like snack foods. All deliver value to your business’s bottom line from improved efficiency and color measurement accuracy.

SpectraTrend HT

This in-line no-contact color measurement solution supplies precise and real-time color measurements and integrates directly into production processes. Its rugged design is suitable for harsh production environments.

Turn to HunterLab for Color Measurement Solutions

HunterLab draws on over 70 years of industry experience to create high-quality solutions that meet your industry's needs. Reach out online to learn more about our solutions for your industry and get a quote.