How To Measure the Color of Desiccated Coconut?

Desiccated coconut, an alternative to fresh coconut meat, is a common ingredient used extensively in many Asian dishes. Produced by drying shredded coconut and then grinding the shreds, desiccated coconut are generally graded into either medium or fine grade according to their cutting size.

The color and appearance of desiccated coconut is an indicator of quality. Good quality desiccated coconut should generally be white in color and is free of discoloration such as yellow specks or black spots. Visual examination of desiccated coconut is highly subjective as color perception is different across individual observers. Furthermore, factors like lighting conditions and sample size influence how we perceive color. Fast and objective assessment can be achieved using color measuring instrument. The commonly used color space to measure color quality of food is the CIE L*a*b*.