Color measurement of food and beverages

Spectrophotometers from HunterLab measure color 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.

Baked goods and snack food

Bread, rolls, toast, cake bases, cookies, gingerbread, cookies, snack food, potato chips, flips, crackers, pretzels, sticks, nuts

Cereal nutrients

Loose cereals, grains, muesli and cereal bars, baking ingredients, baking mixes, baking powder, starch, flour, puffed cereal products, muesli, cornflakes, pops, pasta, noodles

Dairy products

Milk, milk-based mixed drinks, coffee creamers, yoghurt, kefir, quark, ice cream, cream, dried milk products, whey powder, butter, butter preparations, spreadable fat

Fruit and vegetables

Baby porridge, puree, mush, tomato products, fruit and vegetables – fresh and frozen

Sugar and confectionery

Sweets, fruit gums, chocolate drops, jelly gums, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, chocolate, spreads, creams, honey, jams, marmalade, preserves, sugar, cane sugar, rock sugar, sugar cubes, powdered sugar

Ingredients and convenience products

Colorants, colored powder, liquid colorants, loose herbs and spices, sauces, mayonnaise, dressings, mustard

Cooking oils and margarine

Cooking oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, rapeseed oil, margarine and fats

Meat, fish and vegetable proteins

Poultry, beef, pork, sausage products, fish, vegetable proteins, meat and fish substitutes

Drinks

Coffee, tea/similar drinks, water, fruit juice, soft drinks, beer/malt-based mixed drinks, craft beer, spirits drinks Wine, spirits, alcoholic mixed drinks, wine, sparkling wine

Color measurement of baked goods and snack food

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

Brote, Brötchen, Toastbrot, Tortenboden

Bread, rolls, toast, cake base

Backwaren Kekse

Pastries, gingerbread, cookies

Snack-Food, Chips, Flips, Kräcker, Brezeln, Sticks, Nüsse

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

Color measurement of cereal nutrients

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

Getreidenaehrmittel

Loose cereals, grains, muesli and cereal bars

Backzutaten, Back-Mischungen, Backpulver, Stärke, Mehl

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

Gepuffte Getreide-Erzeugnisse, Müsli, Cornflakes, PopsTeigwaren, Nudeln

Puffed cereal products, muesli, cornflakes, pops

Teigwaren, Nudeln

Pasta, noodles

Color 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 colorimeters and the matching accessories.

Milch, Milchmisch-Getränke, Kaffeesahne

Milk, milk-based mixed drinks, coffee creamers

Joghurt, Kefir, Quark, Speiseeis, Sahne

Yoghurt, kefir, quark, ice cream, cream

Trockenmilch-Erzeugnisse, Molkenpulver

Dried milk products, whey powder

Butter, Butter-Zubereitungen, Streichfett

Butter, butter preparations, spreadable fat

Color 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 color measurement depend on the form of the product to be measured.

Babybrei, Püree, Mus

Baby porridge, puree, mush

Tomaten-Produkte

Tomato products

Obst und Gemüse - frisch und Tiefkühlware

Fruit and vegetables - fresh and frozen

Color measurement of sugar and confectionery

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

Bonbons, Fruchtgummi, Schokodrops, Geleegummi

Sweets, fruit gums, chocolate drops, jelly gums

Kakaopulver, Kakaomasse, Kakaobutter, Schokolade

Cocoa powder, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, chocolate

Brotaufstrich, Cremes, Honig, Marmelade, Konfitüren

Spreads, creams, honey, marmalade, jams

Zucker, Rohrzucker, Kandiszucker, Würfelzucker, Puderzucker

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

Color measurement of ingredients and convenience products

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

Farbstoffe, farbiges Pulver, Flüssig-Farbstoffe

Dyes, colored powder, liquid dyes

Lose Kräuter und Gewürze

Loose herbs and spices

Soßen, Mayonnaise, Dressings, Senf

Sauces, mayonnaise, dressings, mustard

Color measurement of edible oils and margarine

The color 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.

Speiseöl, Olivenöl, Sonnenblumenöl, Distelöl, Rapsöl

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

Margarine und Fette

Margarine and solid fats

Color 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 colorimeters to monitor the processing and ensure the quality and freshness of the product.

Poultry, beef, pork, sausage products

Pflanzliche Proteine, Fleisch- und Fisch-Ersatzprodukte

Vegetable proteins, meat and fish substitutes

Color measurement of beverages

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

Kaffee, Tee/ -ähnliche Getränke

Coffee, tea/similar drinks

Wasser, Fruchtsaft, Erfrischungs-Drinks

Water, fruit juice, soft drinks

Bier /Malz-basierte Mischgetränke, Craft-Bier

Beer / malt-based mixed drinks, craft beer

Getraenke Spirituosen Wein

Spirits, alcoholic mixed drinks, wine, sparkling wine

Your local partner:

  • STOTTO

  • 3 Meer End - Interchange Business Park
    Birstall Leicester
    Leicestershire LE4 3EH
    UNITED KINGDOM

  • + 44 (0) 116 269 1240

HunterLab worldwide:

  • Europe / Middle East / Africa

    HunterLab Europe GmbH

  • Dr.-August-Einsele-Ring 15

    82418 Murnau

  • +49 8841 9464

  • 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

Ask us your question here...

Would you like to talk directly about your application/sample? Give us a call at

+44 (0) 116 269 1240

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

Or simply fill out the form below.

Our colorimetry experts will be happy to help you!

Country(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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. Color plays a major role in the food industry because it contributes to whether customers trust a manufacturer or not.

Buyers of raw materials judge color 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 color 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 color 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 color measurement systems.

Portable handheld devices, colorimetric stations for laboratory and production, online devices and suitable software enable savings through fewer complaints, consistent color 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 color and its parameters. Convince yourself of the experience, unique service and support.