Color Measurements of a Solid and Calculation of Color Specifications from Spectral Data

Since food color is one of the most important determinants of acceptability, it is an important specification for many food products. The development of compact and easy-to-use colorimeters has made the quantitative measurement of color a routine part of product development and quality assurance. There are several widely employed systems of color specification: Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) tristimulus, the CIELAB, and the Munsell color system. Available software, often incorporated into modern instruments, enables the investigator to report data in any of the above notations. Understanding the different color specification systems, and the means of interconversion, aids the food scientist in selecting an appropriate means of reporting and comparing color measurements. In this laboratory exercise, students learn: (1) how to measure the color of a solid material and color differences, (2) how to use absorbance spectral data to calculate several commonly used terms to describe and compare color, and (3) become familiar with software related to color.