Confectionery such as sweets, fruit gums and chocolate dragees are small, bite-sized individual pieces. The color measurement of a single candy, for example, is not possible due to the small and uneven surface. However, even when measuring a certain quantity in a cuvette, the pieces come to rest differently on the bottom of the cuvette each time, so that one would have to average over many individual measurements in order to obtain repeatable results.
This is why HunterLab recommends non-contact color measurement with the Aeros spectrophotometer specifically for confectionery. The Aeros sensor sits eccentrically above the edge of a dish containing a large quantity of the sample
During the measurement, the bowl rotates once under the sensor. In the process, 35 measurement flashes are triggered in five seconds and averaged to produce the result. This means that a measuring area of approx. 177 square centimeters is evaluated in a single process, which means that this measurement corresponds to approx. 20 conventional individual measurements in a cuvette and is therefore very representative.
The measurement is very simple:
- Pour or scoop the product into a bowl
- Place the bowl on the turntable
- Trigger measurement at the touch of a button
- Read values after 5 seconds
This non-contact measuring method is very user-friendly and the measurement results are extremely accurate and repeatable.
Depending on requirements, the color of sweet snacks and candies can be but also online/inline, within the production line. HunterLab offers the right solution for all processes to determine precise and reliable color values.