Color Control of Spices

Spices are generally used for flavouring of food but in some circumstances, it has also been used in perfume, cosmetic and medicinal application. When used in food application, besides flavouring, spices are also used for coloring and food preservations. With their antimicrobial properties as products of dried seeds, vegetable substance, bark or even fruit, spices are also commonly used in the preservations of meat.

When spices are used in food, it will affect the overall food color presentation. Therefore, the color control of spices is gaining more interest in manufacturers. Controlling the color well also helps the manufacturers to identify the quality level of the products which is also a major concern for them. The color information obtained also helps them to conduct studies on shelf life, color deviation, storage condition and quality.

Spices come in various forms like fresh, whole dried or pre-ground dried but generally they are dried products. Therefore it can post a challenge for the makers to control the color particularly when it is whole dried or pre-ground dried in powder form.

For the color measurement of whole dried spice products, it can be easily measured using the Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-5, which allows small to large measuring area sizes with averaging functions to obtain a more representative color.

If the spice products are in a pre-ground dried form, petri-dish or tube cells can also be used together with the Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-5. As the pre-ground samples can be in small granular, course or fine powdered form, averaging of the measurements is highly recommended as it gives better representation of the spice color data for precise analysis. The averaging measurements can be carried out easily with the Spectrophotometer CM-5 on an auto or manual option.

The cells also come in various sizes to cater to the different spices with different granular sizes. Averaging functions with different options by the Spectrophotometer CM-5 also allows the user to carry out averaging with ease which is highly recommended for such kind of samples. To further enhance the operation experience while using the Spectrophotometer CM-5, the user can further explore the capabilities of the Spectrophotometer CM-5 by using the optional color management software, SpectraMagic NX Pro.

Conclusion
Spice color has always been a concern for the manufacturers as well as the users. Therefore the Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-5 offers the versatility and capabilities to control and ensure that the spice color is more appealing to the end users. With a good color control, it also sends a signal of quality to the user and thus allowing them to use the spice product with confidence.

For more information, please click Spectrophotometer CM-5 and the SpectraMagic NX Pro Software. Alternatively, feel free to contact us at +65 6895 8685 or drop us an email at ssg@gcp.konicaminolta.com to find out more from our color team on the product capabilities or to have a no-obligation discussion with our application advisors to help you select the appropriate models for your specific application.

About the Author: Alan Chua

Alan Chua is the Assistant Manager of Konica Minolta Sensing Singapore Pte Ltd. Graduated from an electrical engineering background, he is mainly involved in sales, seminar, training and coaching in the field of light and color management. In his 18 years of experience in managing and providing solutions to the many industrial applications, he has also conducted color seminars and workshops to educate the industry on instrumentation technologies and color science. He was also invited as speaker for The Academy of Fashion Professions (TaF.tc) seminar which is the training arm of Textile & Fashion Federation (TaF.f). He was also the speaker for the Color Cosmetics Conference.