As baked goods often have an irregular surface and are partially covered with grains or pieces of chocolate, the surface as a whole is considered for the colour measurement. Until now, the small measuring area of conventional colorimeters meant that several measurements had to be laboriously averaged.
Averaging
The measuring head of the Aeros can be adjusted horizontally and thus positioned eccentrically above the edge of a sample pan or the sample plate. For the measurement, the dish/plate rotates under the sensor while the device performs 35 measurements in 5 seconds and calculates the average value. This measures the surface of the roll/biscuit and provides an exact and repeatable measurement of the colour of the product.
Handling the samples is simple, as a bowl or a blank plate is simply covered with the product in a circle. Just make sure that the bottom of the tray is completely covered by the material, e.g. in the case of cookies double stacked on top of each other (see picture on the left).
Height adjustment of the Aero
The ideal height of the sensor above the sample is ensured by IR distance measurement and thus ensures exact colour measurement. The sample then rotates under the eccentrically positioned sensor. During rotation, several measurements are taken in succession and the average value is automatically calculated. Due to the unusually large measuring surface that is scanned, the overall colour of the food can be reproduced very accurately.
A comparison with intermediate measurements without a measuring flash guarantees that the measurement is insensitive to the ambient light present.
As this non-contact measuring method is very user-friendly and the measurement results are extremely accurate and repeatable, this method is recommended for measuring small baked goods, bread rolls or other baked goods.
HunterLab also offers solutions for measuring cookies and other baked goods online/inline within the production chain, as well as portable devices for measuring individual measuring points on the product itself.
