0086 18165740359The color of bread not only affects its appearance, but also reflects its baking degree, taste and nutritional value. Therefore, accurate measurement of bread color is of great significance for ensuring product quality, optimizing production processes and meeting consumer needs. This article will introduce in detail the importance, methods and recommended instruments of bread color measurement.
The Importance of Bread Color
The color of bread is one of the key indicators of its quality. Light-colored bread may indicate underbaking, while dark-colored bread may indicate overbaking or burnt. An ideal baking process will result in a golden to light brown color on the surface of the bread, which is not only beautiful but also closely related to the flavor and taste of the bread. Color changes are usually caused by Maillard and caramelization reactions, which generate complex flavor compounds and pigments during the baking process.
In addition, the color of bread also affects consumers' purchasing decisions. Studies have shown that consumers generally prefer bread with uniform color and golden color, while bread with uneven or too dark color may be regarded as poor quality. Therefore, accurate measurement and control of bread color is crucial to improving product appeal and market competitiveness.
Methods for measuring bread color
Bread color measurement methods can be divided into two main categories: visual assessment and instrumental measurement.
Visual Assessment
Visual assessment is the simplest method, usually performed by trained assessors to score the color of bread based on color charts or standard samples. This method is low-cost and easy to implement, but has the disadvantages of high subjectivity and poor repeatability. Therefore, visual assessment is suitable for preliminary screening, but is often replaced by instrumental measurement in scenarios that require high accuracy and consistency.
Instrument measurement
Instrumental measurement is the preferred method for measuring bread color because it is objective, accurate, and can provide quantitative color data. Commonly used instruments include colorimeter and spectrophotometer , which determine the color by measuring the reflectance or transmittance of an object at different wavelengths, and usually use CIE Lab* color space to represent color data:
L* : Indicates brightness, ranging from 0 (black) to 100 (white) , and bread L* values are usually between 50 and 70 .
a* : represents the red-green axis, +a is red, -a* is green. The a* value of bread is usually between 5 and 15 (reddish).
b* : represents the yellow-blue axis, +b is yellow, -b* is blue. The b* value of bread is between 20 and 40 (yellowish).
Recommended Bread Color Measurement Instruments
Non-contact spectrophotometer YL4560 (45°/0°)
YL4560 spectrophotometer is a color measurement instrument that adopts the 45/0° (45° annular uniform illumination 0° reception) standard. The test probe and the sample to be tested are non-contacted, and non-contact precision color measurement of liquids, sauces, powders, etc. can be achieved. It can be used for accurate color analysis and transmission in laboratories and R&D industries; it can also be used for accurate color measurement and color quality control of automated production lines; it is widely used in the cosmetics, fruits and vegetables, food hygiene, plastic electronics, paints and inks, printing, ceramics and other industries, and can be used for fluorescent sample measurement. Its unique innovative design can not only provide non-contact measurement solutions directly from the production line, but also ensure stable and high-precision measurement results.
3nh NR20XE is a portable computer colorimeter designed with 45°/0° optical geometry. Its measuring aperture is 20mm. The color measurement result of NR20XE simulates human eye observation, but its accuracy is several times higher than that of human eye. NR20XE can more effectively reflect the interaction between the surface texture and color of the sample. When judging the critical tolerance of the sample color value, NR20XE can effectively eliminate the error between the human eye and the colorimeter caused by the surface texture of the sample. Therefore, NR20XE is widely used in color QC departments.
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