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Abstract:

Color is an important food quality attribute and its evaluation is critical for food manufacturing, processing and storage. Conventional objective color measurements include colorimetry and spectrophotometry which have limited color sensing capabilities due to low spatial resolution. In contrast, color machine vision (CMV) offers a significantly higher spatial resolution that creates new opportunities for color quality control. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using CMV for color measurement of foods. The color image acquisition system was designed based on a performance model and evaluated against a Minolta Chroma Meter using several standard Macbeth color plates as well as processed beef and carrot samples. Excellent correlation existed for all systems studied (R>0.98). Strong correlations existed between measured external colors and pigment concentrations and the extent of processing in the food products (samples) used in this study. These results suggest that CMV can be used for both off-line and on-line color quality control in food industry.