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Title: COMPARISON OF TWO SENSORY COLOR EVALUATION METHODS WITH TWO INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES

Author
item KANE, A - UNIV OF GEORGIA
item Lyon, Brenda
item SWANSON, R - UNIV OF GEORGIA
item Savage, Elizabeth

Submitted to: Journal of Food Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/26/2003
Publication Date: 7/8/2003
Citation: KANE, A.M., LYON, B.G., SWANSON, R.B., SAVAGE, E.M. COMPARISON OF TWO SENSORY COLOR EVALUATION METHODS WITH TWO INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES. JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE. 2003. V. 68(5). P. 1831-1837.

Interpretive Summary: Color influences appearance of foods and provides clues to product flavor, texture, and consumer acceptability, particularly baked goods and snack foods. Instrumental color measurement techniques for quality control or color matching must be accurate, convenient, quantitative, and reflective of human sensory perception. Spectrophotometers are frequently used to assess food color. With advancements in technology, digital images analyzed with graphics software are another potential alternative. In this study, two instrumental and two visual sensory techniques for color measurement of cookies were assessed. Chocolate chip and oatmeal cookie color was manipulated with a non-sucrose sweetener blend and/or prune puree and evaluated under cool white fluorescent illumination. Color values were determined with a Minolta spectrophotometer. Color values were also obtained from high-resolution digital camera cookie images using a computer and graphics software. A sensory panel compared cookies to physical color reference cards on a 10-point intensity scale in a commercial light booth (MacBeth). The panel also compared cookie color to digital color references (1=light to 10=dark) presented via computer in sensory booths. Results indicated that all methods reflected differences in product formulations and that a strong linear relationship existed between all methods. Instrumental and sensory correlations for both cookie types validated the potential of both instrumental methods to reflect human sensory assessment. Method selection would depend on the specific application and desired endpoint. An advantage of the digital method is that a permanent image can be obtained and used in several evaluative ways. The description and results of evaluation of methods in this study will be of benefit to food producers and quality control personnel who must evaluate color to meet or set specifications for consistent quality.

Technical Abstract: Relationships between 2 instrumental and 2 sensory color assessment methods of cookies were determined. For sensory tests, panelists (n=8-10) compared cookies (3 formulations x 2 cookie types) to equidistant physical color references (PhysREF) in a light booth and to digital color references (DigREF) in a sensory workstation. For instrumental methods, CIELAB and hue angle were determined with a spectrophotometer (SPEC) and with graphics software using digital camera images (DigImag). ANOVA and PDIFF verified differences (p<0.05) among formulations within type by all methods. With exception of b* values of heterogeneous chocolate chip cookies, the potential of all color assessment methods were validated by strong linear relationships (r>0.94), p<0.001).