Color Quality of Fresh and Processed Foods

Color is a critical measure of quality in foods and beverages. Researchers and technical personnel in quality assurance and product development need appropriate objective methods for measuring color. This book contains chapters by scientists from throughout the world with expertise on the pigment and color stability of many different commodities. While a broad range of foods are represented, there is particular emphasis on fruits and vegetables and beverages. There is heightened interest in the natural food pigments today because of their health benefits and roles in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, cancer and other diseases. However, research on the health benefits of natural colorants is not the subject of this book, rather the focus is on color quality- how it can be optimized and how it is appropriately measured. The book opens with a section on color measurement covering the basic principles and practical aspects of color measurement. Sixteen chapters are devoted to fruits, vegetables and beverages. The perspective of plant breeders is given along with that of academic and industrial scientists. Food colorants are given intense scrutiny when it comes to regulation, and there is considerable variation from country to country with respect to both basic principles and specific rules for use and labeling of colorants. The six chapters in the final section on regulatory aspects give a very comprehensive update on colorant regulations in the USA, Europe, Central and South America and Asia. The viewpoint from regulatory agencies is given along with that from manufacturers and users of food colorants. This section provides a very clear picture of food colorant regulations at the present time. Much of this information is also relevant to other food ingredients. The book contains a number of color plates that were selected to make for a clearer presentation of the author's concepts.