Measuring the Color of Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the most popular breakfast and dessert choice across the globe. Yogurt, made from fermented milk, comes in a variety of flavors using additional ingredients such as fruits and flavorings. For yogurt manufacturers, achieving accurate and consistent yogurt color is challenging as it requires precise proportion of ingredients in order to produce the right color. Any wide variance in color affects consumers’ acceptance as color influence consumers’ perception and preference of food.

Adopting color management throughout the yogurt production process helps manufacturers improve color quality and yield in the production of yogurt. Before blending the ingredients together, checking whether their L*a*b* values are within the acceptable range can help minimize variance in yogurt color. Evaluating the final yogurt color helps manufacturers determine whether corrective action is needed before packaging.

Depending on the ingredients opaqueness or transparency, selecting the appropriate measurement mode, whether reflectance or transmittance, helps ensure L*a*b* data obtained are accurate.