Color Measurement of Translucent Food Samples a

SUMMARY Reflectance measurements of foods and food products can serve as rapid nondestructive indicators of quality. The problem of sample presentation to photoelectric reflectance units is easily solved with opaque, non‐light‐transmitting samples. With translucent materials, problems arise relating to internal light transmission and consequent light loss through trapping. A method of overcoming these problems is suggested, involving the application of Kubelka‐Munk colorant layer analyses. Appleberry‐applesauce mixtures with color differences controlled by addition of red food coloring, and artificial systems consisting of agar, cellulose, and controlled increments of yellow food dye, were evaluated subjectively and objectively. Direct measurement of deep layers of samples by photoelectric tristimulus colorimetry was not as successful in ranking the samples as was the visual panel. The measurement of thin layers of sample backed by white standard plaques increased the separation of successive samples in color space to conform closely to visual experience.