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In the food industry—where color signals freshness, quality, and consumer appeal, while safety and compliance are non-negotiable—reliable color measurement is a critical pillar of quality control. From fruits, vegetables, and meats to baked goods, beverages, sauces, and processed foods, 3NH’s Food Color Measurement Solutions are engineered to meet the unique demands of food production and safety standards. Designed to ensure batch uniformity, shelf-life stability, and adherence to global food regulations, 3NH empowers food manufacturers, processors, and quality labs to deliver products that are both safe and visually consistent.
There is a need to be precise in measurement of color in food. Colorimeters for foods is a scientific equipment that analyzes the correct color of an object by measuring the way it absorbs and reflects light. This is essential in manufacturing of foods so as to maintain high quality and satisfy consumers. Colorimeters can detect various components in food by measuring the color changes in food, thereby effectively ensuring food quality and safety.
1. Ketchup Color Measurement
Admittedly, you might have never thought that ketchup can be a different color of red than it is. It is so because production is very serious when it comes to color ketchup standards. A food colorimeter ensures that each bottle contains that famous red color because any deviation will be detected.
2. Color in Cookies and Baked Goods
The cookies should have consistent color which is required during mass production. By using colorimeters, bakers can chart a method to monitor baking time and proportion of ingredients to achieve a similar color and flavor.
3. Colored Catsup Variants
The food industry is considering ketchup of different hues such as green, purple, or even black as a novelty, or niche factor. When this happens, proper tools in measuring color maintain brand recognition and consistency.
4. Coconut and Olive Oil
Depending on the origin, time of harvesting, or processing, olive oil could be darker or lighter in color, like brown coconut oil. To label and control the quality, scientific measurement of colour will provide the correct consumer information and batch control.
Be it a requirement to examine various shades of ketchup, test cookie color, or olive oil hue. Threenh can provide the equipment and expertise.
An attractive appearance strongly affects the buying process, and many times, the customer has not even read the label. Color is among the quickest methods of conveying the identity, quality, and flavor profile of a product in an already flooded market.
When it comes to food, the colors used in a food business can determine the category of the products, target the consumer market, and improve shelf appeal to consumers.
Red, green and blue are bright colors that are appealing to the younger audience. One can see such colors on candy, flavored snacks, and novelty drinks. To illustrate, the colorful cereals and rainbow ice pops attract the eyes of the children and teens when they scroll through Instagram or TikTok.
Earthy colors, such as dull greens, brown, and beige, are reminiscent of organic, lightly processed, or health-related products. Plain colors such as these are usually found on product packages of whole-grain snacks, plant-based protein bars, and cold-pressed juices. Most consumers develop trust in a natural look.
Batch-to-batch uniformity should also be a key. A yogurt that is slightly paler, or a sauce that does not have the same color in the entire product, may look faulty, even when the flavor is identical. There is a consistency of color information that indicates quality control and means that the product remains reliable. This is particularly significant to long-lasting products such as ketchup, peanut butter, or olive oil.
Most manufacturers also employ a colour chart to maintain consistency in colours. A colorimeter-calibrated color reference chart allows the manufacturers to stay within tolerance levels and minimize quality deviations.
For example:
● Tomato sauces range from orange-red to deep crimson depending on processing.
● Curry powder may differ in hue based on spice composition.
● Breakfast cereals often come in vibrant, kid-friendly colors.
The color and appearance indicate the quality, age, and even the spiciness of food. Here's how different ingredients benefit from proper color analysis:
The green of olive oil (the olive green), the golden halo of turmeric or the red of chili all indicate freshness, quality and potency of spices. Chili powder will usually change color, especially when it is old and oxidized.
● What colour is spice? It depends, but it should match expectations.
● Measurement of spiciness is often indirectly tied to color. Chili powders, for instance, get darker as they age and oxidize.
Olive oil may be olive to gold or amber in color, varying with the olives and the process used. An extra toasting or aging might be indicated by a brown coconut oil.
● The slight color difference may imply more antioxidants or excessive oxidation.
● Colorimeters assist manufacturers to tag foods appropriately and demonstrate the best foods.
The grains measurement process includes visual grading of grains, particularly rice, wheat and corn. Sorting quality, processing care, or the lack of foreign material is commonly represented by color uniformity.
Ready to improve your food’s visual appeal and quality control?
Explore our website today to discover the best color measurement tools for your food business.
Color cereal, color cookies, and rainbow-inspired snacks are fast becoming common in the market today. Since customers value newness and shareable food experiences, manufacturers should have a way of producing and sustaining these eye-catching colors.
Nostalgia and viral marketing have brought back even colored ketchup. However, when the color is not controlled all the time, no one will want such products.
That is why most companies combine the use of a color measurement tool in the product development process when natural ingredients (that vary in tone) are being used.
Colorimeters are pocket size, easy to handle instruments to gauge the color of a sample with regard to its reflection or transmission of light. They give objective numerical values (which are usually in the CIE Lab* or RGB color spaces), which represent lightness, red-green value, and yellow-blue value.
● Use cases:
○ Ketchup color control in bottling plants
○ Assessing spice colors like paprika, turmeric, or chili powder
○ Verifying the colour of olive oil or brown coconut oil before packaging
● These tools are ideal for on-site, rapid assessments during production, packaging, or final inspection stages.
The spectrophotometers provide more sophisticated and accurate measurements. They measure the way food samples absorb light at different wavelengths. In contrast to colorimeters, a spectrophotometer produces a full spectral curve. Which means more detailed color analysis and a more accurate assumption of tiny changes.
● Ideal for:
○ R&D labs and high-precision quality control
○ Color matching across multiple product lines
○ Measuring color cereal coatings, blended sauces, or complex baked goods like color in cookies
Most of the current color measurement equipment is capable of connecting to quality control (QC) software. This made it possible for the results to be logged, trends managed, and comparisons made between batches in real-time. The value of this integration especially when handling food color charts and wide production lines that have numerous product SKUs.
● Benefits include:
○ Digital archiving of color standards and test results
○ Automated alerts for deviations outside preset tolerances
○ Enhanced traceability for audits and compliance
Color is the first thing which people recognize in the beverage industry. It informs them whether a beverage is fresh, tastes nice, and is of high quality--and usually within a couple of milliseconds. Be it orange juice, pomegranate juice, a gold craft beer, the similarity of color aids brand recognition and customer satisfaction.
● Visual expectation: Consumers associate certain colors to taste. Yellow-orange at its brightest reminds them of citruses, ruby-red for berry mixtures, and deep brown for cold brews and cola.
● Perceived freshness: Even an apple juice that has slightly oxidized and becomes faded brown may cause a negative impression. Even though the juice may be safe to consume.
Differentiating products: When a market is already saturated with products, unique and uniform color gives products a competitive advantage in retail stores and serves to remind the customer about the brand.
With deep expertise in color measurement for safety-critical sectors, 3NH understands the unique challenges of food production: strict hygiene requirements, diverse product forms, and high-volume workflows. Our solutions balance technical precision with practicality—intuitive interfaces reduce training time, while compatibility with food safety management systems (FSMS) simplifies compliance. Backed by global technical support, regulatory guidance, and a 2-year warranty, 3NH is a reliable partner for food businesses of all sizes.
3NH’s Food Color Measurement Solutions aren’t just tools—they’re a strategic investment in your brand’s reputation and consumer trust. By ensuring every product meets exact color standards, you’ll reduce costs, comply with regulations, and deliver food that appeals to both eyes and palates.
Contact us for a personalized demo, custom solution quote, or to learn how 3NH can address your specific food color control needs.
2024-11-12
2024-11-12
2024-11-12
