How to Measure the Color of Pastry

Pastry is an important part of the global baking market, and its color is one of the important factors for consumers to judge its quality and freshness. The color of pastries not only affects the visual appeal of the product, but also reflects the stability of its raw materials, baking degree and production process. Therefore, accurate pastry color measurement is essential for quality control in the baking industry. This article will explore the factors affecting pastry color, measurement methods, and how to use 3nh spectrophotometers to achieve accurate measurement, ensure the color of each batch of pastries is consistent, and improve market competitiveness.

Why Measure Pastry Color?

For pastries, the ideal color is usually a golden-brown finish, which is the appearance standard pursued by consumers and producers. This color is formed by the Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction, and the typical target value is a * ≈ +5 to +10 (reddish), reflecting the moderate baking state. For example:

Croissant: Its golden color and shiny surface are its signature features.

Puff pastry: The distinct layers of golden brown reflect the crispy texture.

Danish pastry: Evenly light brown in color and topped with jam or cream.

the glossiness of certain pastries such as croissants also needs to be paid attention to, which may require auxiliary measurement in combination with a gloss meter . Spectrophotometers help ensure product consistency and optimize processes by quantifying color data.

The color of pastries is usually divided into external color (crust) and internal color (pastry crumbs). Different types of pastries have different color characteristics.

1. External color characteristics

The color of the pastry crust is usually determined by the baking time, temperature and degree of sugar caramelization. Common color types are as follows:

Golden yellow: Such as croissant and Danish pastry, the surface is evenly bright yellow.

Light yellow: Such as cream puffs and shortbreads, which are warm light yellow.

Dark brown or caramel color: such as Mille-Feuille, the surface color is darker due to the caramelization of sugar.

2. Internal color characteristics (Cake Crumb Whiteness)

Creamy white (high L value): such as puffs and French mille-feuille, with a light texture and soft and white interior.

Light yellow (medium L value): Such as Brioche and butter croissants, which are light yellow due to the addition of egg yolks, butter or milk.

Dark color (low L value): such as chocolate pastry or caramel pastry, the color is darker, determined by cocoa powder or caramelization reaction.

Factors Affecting the Color of Pastries

1. Raw material composition

Flour type: Refined white flour gives the cake a bright white colour (high L* value), while whole wheat or rye flour will give it a darker colour.

Sugar content: Sugar caramelizes during baking, which determines the golden or brown color of the cake. The higher the sugar content, the darker the color.

Protein content: When the protein content is high, the Maillard Reaction will occur under high temperature baking, making the color of the pastry crust darker.

2. Baking process

Baking temperature: High temperature baking will accelerate the Maillard reaction and make the pastry crust darker, while lower temperature will make the color lighter.

Baking time: The longer the time, the darker the color of the pastry crust. Overbaking may cause burning.

Humidity control: When the humidity is high during baking, the crust may be lighter in color; when the humidity is low, the pastry crust is more likely to burn.

3. Use of additives

Egg yolk, butter, milk: can enhance the yellow hue of the pastry.

Cocoa powder, caramel color: make the pastry dark brown or black.

Food coloring: Some pastries may use natural or artificial colors such as caramel coloring and curcumin to adjust the color.

How to Measure the Color of Pastries with a Spectrophotometer? Pastry Color Measurement Instrument Recommendation

Traditional color detection methods rely on manual visual judgment, but this method is easily affected by factors such as lighting and observation angle, and it is difficult to ensure consistency. 3nh spectrophotometer provides a more accurate and efficient solution, which is widely used in color monitoring and quality control in the baking industry. 3nh spectrophotometer illuminates the surface of pastries or internal pastry crumbs through a light source, and measures the spectral data of the reflected light to obtain the color information of the pastries. The equipment can measure multiple color parameters, such as:

CIE Lab value (L* brightness, a* red-green, b* yellow-blue), accurately quantifying the color of pastries.

Color difference (ΔE), used for color comparison of different batches of pastries to ensure consistency.

Advantages of 3nh spectrophotometer

• Non-contact measurement: avoids contamination, suitable for various types of pastries, such as croissants, puffs, egg tarts, etc.
• High-precision detection: capable of detecting tiny color differences to ensure that the color of pastries meets the standards.
• Real-time online monitoring: Applicable to baking production lines, it can automatically detect the color deviation of the pastry surface.
• Data analysis and quality control: It can be connected to the production system, automatically generate data reports, and optimize the baking process.

Actual application scenarios of spectrophotometers for measuring baked foods

Real-time detection on the production line

Monitor the color of pastries on the production line to ensure color stability and avoid excessive color difference due to changes in baking temperature or time.

Post-baking quality inspection

Use an online colorimeter to detect the color of pastries after baking to ensure that they meet product specifications.

Raw materials and recipe evaluation

Monitor the quality of raw materials such as flour and sugar in different batches through color measurement to ensure consistent color of the final product.

Brand quality control

Applicable to chain baking brands to ensure consistent color of pastries in different factories and improve brand trust.

Non-contact spectrophotometer YL4560 (45°/0°)

YL4560 spectrophotometer is a color measurement instrument that adopts the 45/0° (45° annular uniform illumination 0° reception) standard. The test probe and the sample to be tested are non-contacted, and non-contact precision color measurement of liquids, sauces, powders, etc. can be achieved. It can be used for accurate color analysis and transmission in laboratories and R&D industries; it can also be used for accurate color measurement and color quality control of automated production lines; it is widely used in the cosmetics, fruits and vegetables, food hygiene, plastic electronics, paints and inks, printing, ceramics and other industries, and can be used for fluorescent sample measurement. Its unique innovative design can not only provide non-contact measurement solutions directly from the production line, but also ensure stable and high-precision measurement results.

Colorimeter NR20XE

3nh NR20XE is a portable computer colorimeter designed with 45°/0° optical geometry. Its measuring aperture is 20mm. The color measurement result of NR20XE simulates human eye observation, but its accuracy is several times higher than that of human eye. NR20XE can more effectively reflect the interaction between the surface texture and color of the sample. When judging the critical tolerance of the sample color value, NR20XE can effectively eliminate the error between the human eye and the colorimeter caused by the surface texture of the sample. Therefore, NR20XE is widely used in color QC departments.

HG268 Tri-angle Gloss Meter

A gloss meter with a 3.5-inch large screen display, featuring easy use, stable performance and accurate measurement .