COLOR PERCEPTION AND FOOD QUALITY1

Color may be the most important sensory attribute of food and as such holds a preeminent position in overall food quality. It effects consumer judgement of other sensory characteristics such as flavor, sweetness and saltiness as well as being an important predictor of nonsensory quality attributes like moisture content, over-processing and pigment content. In order to maximize the use of color as a measure of food quality it is essential to understand the theoretical basis of colorimetry and be able to apply it in a consistent and meaningful way. This approach may be simplified by the use of a quality measurement model which considers the object to be measured, the synthetic and analytical processes of measurement and the use of the analytical process as a predictor of the synthetic process. Such a model allows the application of this important quality tool to almost any food or food production system.