Colorimeter Uses For Dental Research, Coffee Roasting, And Cheese Sorting

By Author: Erica Ronchetti
Total Articles: 738
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Colorimeters are highly accurate, multi-functional, and user friendly instruments. They are suitable for measuring color and color difference in a wide range of industrial fields and all sorts of ingredients, including raw materials, foods, dermatological applications, and pharmaceuticals. This article examines the versatility of colorimeters and how they assist in the production and research of dental resin, coffee, and cheese.

Because resin is so easily stained by food and tobacco products, laboratory test are conducted to research improving resin surface condition and resistance to pigmentary deposits. Attention is currently being paid to water repellency and surface treatment agents—colorimeter instruments assist in the quantification and measurement of samples and provide accurate numerical data for stain resistance of dental restorative materials. Because the colorimeter is both compact and lightweight, it can easily be moved away from the laboratory when not in use, making more effective use of laboratory space. Colorimeters are also ideal for measuring small specimens in a short amount ...
... of time.

Colorimeters are also used in the coffee roasting process—colorimeters make it easy to do on-site color measurement to check the extent of coffee bean roasting. Coffee companies which process, manufacture, and sell coffee use colorimeters to control the extent of roasting beans because it affects the taste and final product. The extent of bean roasting is judged by coffee bean color in its powdered form. Previous colorimeter instruments for this measurement were large desktop types that required an exclusive room and operator for measurements. Modern colorimeter instruments improve efficiency in color measurement with portable colorimeters for easy and rapid measurement in the factory. This improves efficiency in terms of location and the cost of measurement. Colorimeters also solve product quality differences between factories and provide high inner-instrument agreement. Colorimeters also provide the option to store data and precisely control product color to meet customer specifications and prove products meet specific specifications.

Colorimeters are also used in order to sort cheese, both inside and outside the factory because of portability and ease of use. Cheese factories use colorimeters to measure the degree of browning of cheese in the selection process. Browning depends on the kind of natural cheese, the season, and country in which it was produced. High-quality processed cheese creation requires using natural cheese which is resistant to browning. After measuring browning, processed cheese is produced from natural cheeses which are resistant to browning. Besides measurements, colorimeters are also used to measure cheese during shipping after it has been unloaded and before it goes through customs. Previously, cheese browning was evaluated by eye using a specimen for comparative purposes. Colorimeter precision and portability allows one colorimeter to be used anywhere, not only inside the factory.

Erica Ronchetti is a freelance writer for Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc. (KMSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings USA, Inc., is the global leader in the industrial measurement of color, light and shape. Learn more about colorimeter technology and Glossmeter by visiting us on the web.