Measuring the Color of Liquid Beverages
Concerning the color measurement of liquid beverages, your measuring device should address three main areas of difficulty:
- Translucency: While some drinks, like orange juice, are opaque, many are translucent and require special tools to measure. Colorimeters and spectrophotometers are two devices that measure color. Spectrophotometers offer more accurate performance in this area, because they measure a sample's reflectance and transmittance at every wavelength in the visible spectrum, providing more comprehensive data about various lighting conditions.
- Containment: Liquids can't be placed on a sample area without a container, and the liquid cannot touch the liquid color measurement device. If it does, this can both contaminate the sample and cover up the instrument's optics. The measuring device must accommodate liquid samples.
- Ingredient variance: When you're working with raw, natural ingredients, like oranges or tomatoes, color may vary significantly from lot to lot. Understanding these variances during production can help prevent costly mistakes and deliver more consistent products. This measurement can be fast and easy with a spectrophotometer with built-in tolerance and pass/fail systems.
Types of Liquid Beverage Color Measurement Instruments
At HunterLab, our spectrophotometers can help you address those challenges. We have several solutions for specific product types. All our products include the industry-standard CIE L*a*b* and Hunter L,a,b color systems.
ColorFlex L2 Citrus and Tomato
ColorFlex L2 spectrophotometers use 45º/0º optical geometry to measure color how the human eye perceives it. Our citrus models measure Citrus numbers, Redness and Yellowness, alongside reflectance in opaque and semi-opaque liquids and solids. The tomato models recognize all forms of tomato products, including tomato paste, sauce, ketchup, juice and fresh tomatoes.
With a connection to EasyMatch quality control software, ColorFlex L2 spectrometers gather data for streamlined analysis.
Vista
The Vista is a d/8º sphere spectrophotometer perfect for transparent and translucent samples. It simultaneously measures haze and color in a compact benchtop model. It's a cost-effective, precise and accurate choice with an intuitive interface on an easy-to-read touch-screen display.
When you're measuring liquid samples outside of citrus and tomato products, Vista is the right solution. Use its intelligent measurement abilities for ciders, water, colas, beer, spirits and more.
Choose HunterLab for Your Liquid Beverage Color Measurement Tools
HunterLab has been leading innovation and raising the bar for color measurement for over 70 years. We've become the trusted choice for color measurement of solids and liquids for a wide range of industries, including liquid beverage production. Whatever it is you're working with, our spectrophotometers can help you deliver more consistent, high-quality liquid beverages with ease and speed every time.
To learn more about our liquid color measurement devices, click on the links above or reach out to a representative today!
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