In the milk industry, the color of milk is an important quality indicator, which reflects the ingredients, freshness and processing of milk, and is of great significance for evaluating the quality and safety of milk. For example, excessive heat treatment or oxidation can lead to yellowing of milk, which is often undesirable and therefore requires strict quality control of the milk color to ensure that it complies with relevant standards and regulations, whereas traditional color evaluation methods can be influenced by human factors, ambient light or observer subjectivity. Benchtop spectrophotometers, on the other hand, are able to accurately quantify color differences by measuring the spectral distribution of the sample reflection or transmission and converting it into objective color parameters, such as lab values. This article will describe a method for measuring milk color differences using a benchtop spectrophotometer.
How a benchtop spectrophotometer works
A benchtop spectrophotometer is an instrument that evaluates color by measuring the reflected or transmitted light of an object's color. It splits the light reflected by an object into monochromatic light of different wavelengths and measures the intensity of light at each wavelength. By measuring the color of the object and the color of the target, the color difference between the two can be calculated, and then the quality of the milk can be judged.
1. Measurement steps
Prepare the materials. Color spectrum desktop spectrophotometer CS-821N
Standard milk samples.
Milk sample to be tested.
Cuvettes. Among them, the desktop spectrophotometer CS-821N is the main instrument used to measure the color of milk, and the round cuvette is used to hold milk samples.
2. Sample preparation
Pour the milk into the cuvette (make sure that the milk is poured into the cuvette volume of 3 4 or more).
3. Sample measurement
Turn on the desktop spectrophotometer CS-821N.
Set parameters: select reflection measurement mode, D65 light source, 10° observer angle, etc.
Perform a black and white calibration in reflectance measurement mode.
Hold the CS-821N up so that the test port is pointing upwards.
Place the cuvette poured with the standard milk on the test port, making sure that the test port is completely covered.
Press the measure button and wait for the instrument to complete the measurement and display the result.
7.Record the measurement results.
8.Wash the cuvettes and instruments and prepare them for the next measurement.
Four. Analysis of results
In this experiment, the color difference of the sample to be measured can be evaluated by comparing the color difference value of the sample to be tested with that of the standard sample. This approach can help milk producers ensure product quality and improve the consumer experience.
At the same time, in the new product development stage, color adjustment and optimization is a key step. By using a benchtop spectrophotometer, researchers can precisely measure and adjust the color of new products to meet market and consumer expectations.