Colour measurement of food and beverages

Spectrophotometers from HunterLab measure colour and turbidity in the food and beverage industry of various products, FDA-compliant and versatile depending on the application: in the laboratory, in production, stationary or online/inline. For example:

  • Solids, e.g. spices, meat, baked goods, as well as snack food, beans/nuts, breakfast cereals, but also
  • Liquids and viscous samples such as sauces, juices, syrups, oils, pudding/yoghurt, sugar, pasta, rice or jam
  • and much more…

Find out which device is best suited to your application in our overview.

Colour is safety

FDA/GMP-sicher: Unsere Geräte unterstützen Sie bei der Einhaltung von Vorschriften und helfen, Ihre Prozesse am Laufen zu halten.

Colour is function

No matter how demanding your environment is, we have the solution that is tailored to your requirements. Whether individual accessories or software adaptations. We listen and implement.

Colour is communication

HunterLab colour expert: personal and customer-oriented. Just a call or a click away.

Baked goods and snack food

Cereal nutrients

Dairy products

Fruit and vegetables

Sugar and confectionery

Ingredients and convenience products

Cooking oils and margarine

Meat, fish and vegetable proteins

Drinks

Colour measurement of baked goods and snack food

The focus of the colour measurement of buns, cookies and snack food is to quantify the colour at the level of visual human perception, ensuring that consumer expectations are met.

Bread, rolls, toast, cake base

Pastries, gingerbread, cookies

Snack food, potato chips, chips, crackers, pretzels, sticks, nuts

Colour measurement of cereal nutrients

Cereals, flours and pasta underline their quality standards for consumers with colour consistency. Baking ingredients, grains and raw cereals are checked to ensure consistency throughout the entire supply chain.

Loose cereals, grains, muesli and cereal bars

Baking ingredients, baking mixes, baking powder, starch, flour

Puffed cereal products, muesli, cornflakes, pops

Pasta, noodles

Colour measurement of dairy products

Dairy products are extremely diverse: the samples can be opaque liquids, semi-solid products, solid or powdery samples, but the highest quality standards must always be met. Producers meet these requirements with HunterLab spectrophotometers and the matching accessories.

Milk, milk-based mixed drinks, coffee creamers

Yoghurt, kefir, quark, ice cream, cream

Dried milk products, whey powder

Butter, butter preparations, spreadable fat

Colour measurement of fruit and vegetables - raw or processed

Fruit and vegetables come in many forms, from their natural, unprocessed state to processed purees and frozen goods. The appropriate technology and instrumentation for colour measurement depend on the form of the product to be measured.

Baby porridge, puree, mush

Tomato products

Fruit and vegetables - fresh and frozen

Colour measurement of sugar and confectionery

Sweets, spreads, chocolate and their raw materials such as sugar and cocoa are tested for their visual appearance using spectrophotometers in order to strengthen trust in the product and brand. HunterLab has the right measuring devices and sample holders for every application.

Sweets, fruit gums, chocolate drops, jelly gums

Cocoa powder, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, chocolate

Spreads, creams, honey, marmalade, jams

Sugar, cane sugar, candy sugar, cube sugar, powdered sugar

Colour measurement of ingredients and convenience products

Condiments, food colours, synthetic/natural antioxidants, mustard, dressings and sauces can occur in solid, liquid, powder or paste form, so different measurement techniques are required for successful colour measurement.

Dyes, coloured powder, liquid dyes

Loose herbs and spices

Sauces, mayonnaise, dressings, mustard

Colour measurement of edible oils and margarine

The colour quality of vegetable oils such as olive oil or sunflower oil as well as margarine plays a major role in the classification of products in order to maintain consumer acceptance and trust.

Cooking oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, rapeseed oil

Margarine and fats

Colour measurement of meat, fish and vegetable proteins

Before the product reaches the consumer, the processors of meat, poultry and fish, as well as their plant-based substitutes, use spectrophotometers to monitor the processing and ensure the quality and freshness of the product.

Poultry, beef, pork, sausage products

Vegetable proteins, meat and fish substitutes

Colour measurement of beverages

Beverages can be opaque, translucent or transparent and require different instruments and techniques for successful colour measurement. Manufacturers can find these at Hunterlab, whose measuring devices are already being used by major beverage companies. Please ask us for references!

Coffee, tea/similar drinks

Water, fruit juice, soft drinks

Beer / malt-based mixed drinks, craft beer

Spirits, alcoholic mixed drinks, wine, sparkling wine

HunterLab worldwide:

  • Headquarters, North / South America

    Hunter Associates Laboratory, Inc.

  • 11491 Sunset Hills Road

    Reston, VA 20190-5280

  • +1 571 470 6028

  • Asia-Pacific

    HunterLab Asia Limited
  • Flat E, 13F Leahander Centre,

    28 Wang Wo Tsai Street,
    Tsuen Wan,
    New Territories,
    Hong Kong

  • +852 2406 1723

  • Europe / Middle East / Africa

    HunterLab Europe GmbH

  • Dr.-August-Einsele-Ring 15

    82418 Murnau

  • +49 8841 9464

Ask us your question here...

Would you like to talk directly about your application/sample? Call us at
+49 8841 9464

We will show you the colour measurement solution for your product.

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Is the fruit still fresh? Does the lemonade look pale? Why are the snacks darker than usual? Questions like these show the high level of sensitivity that needs to be taken into account with food products. Colour plays a major role in the food industry because it contributes to whether customers trust a manufacturer or not.

Buyers of raw materials judge colour as a quality parameter in the same way as the end consumer. Trust is based on recognition and a consistent appearance. HunterLab has been an expert in industrial colour measurement for 70 years and guarantees stable measurement values from raw material to finished product, including liquids, solids and non-uniform products such as cereals or snack food, in food plants all over the world.

Measuring colour means ensuring quality.

Manufacturers and producers can only guarantee high quality standards if all the cookies in a packet are the same golden brown, the lemonade is always freshly orange or the cocoa bean is not too black.

HunterLab meets the special requirements of a food product with an extensive range of different colour measurement systems.

Portable handheld devices, colorimetric stations for laboratory and production, online devices and suitable software enable savings through fewer complaints, consistent colour stability and therefore satisfied customers. For 70 years, HunterLab has been a leader in the manufacture and distribution of measuring instruments for the assessment of colour and its parameters. Convince yourself of the experience, unique service and support.