Fruits & Vegetables

Color measurement in fruits and vegetables – Measure Citrus Color Index (CCI), Ripening Index (RI), Tomato Color Index (TCI) and do more with Sensegood spectrophotometer

Fruits and vegetables are nature’s boon to human. One can judge if the fruit is ripped or not by looking at its color. Color of the fruits and vegetables can also be associated with their freshness. Consider an example of apples; color and size of apples are the most important criteria among other quality parameters estimated by consumer. [1]



Color measurement information can enable you to determine freshness, ripening, and shelf life. The information also assists for grading, sorting, and supply management. Separating the ripe fruits from the over-ripe and unripe fruits would allow the “good fruits” (with adequate shelf life) to be shipped to fresh market while the less desirable, the green and the over ripe fraction, could be send to a processing plant where quality could be enhanced by appropriate bio-processing techniques. [2]

Sensegood spectrophotometer is an analytical color measurement instrument that is widely accepted in industry and research fraternity. It comprehensively evaluates the color attributes of various samples, including solids, liquids, powders and pastes.

Sensegood spectrophotometer acquires the color of citric fruits like orange, mandarin, lemon, grapefruit; analyses and represent as Citrus Color Index (CCI). Along with CCI, it also provides values for Citrus Number (CN) and Citrus Red (CR). Sensegood spectrophotometer’s firmware works on citrus score algorithm developed by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).[3] Similarly, Sensegood spectrophotometer acquires tomato color and presents result in terms of Tomato Color Index (TCI). Apart from citrus scores and tomato color index, Sensegood spectrophotometer is equipped with ripening indices. The a*/b* index represents the ratio of red-green and yellow-blue color components. Same way its reciprocal index b*/a* can also be considered depending on the color of fruit or vegetable.

Other related reads:

On the other hand, natural food dye manufacturers also need control on color quality to maintain consistency. This topic is separately discussed in detail in Food dyes section.
Sensegood spectrophotometer helps fruit processors in managing color quality control in beverages like fruit juices and condiments like tomato ketchups. This topic is separately discussed in Beverages and pastes section.
Study cites that the color and method of packaging in fruits and vegetables influences consumer’s willingness to buy. It can change consumer’s perception by improving the appearance of fruits and vegetables or fruit juice packaging. [4] Check how Sensegood spectrophotometer can help in maintaining color consistency in your packaging.


References :

  1. Plocharski, Witold & Konopacka, Dorota. (1999). The relation between mechanical and sensory parameters of apples and pears. Acta Horticulturae. 485. 309-317. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.485.43
  2. McClure, W.F., 1995, Biological measurements for the 21st century. Keynote paper at Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference, New Horizons, New Challenges, Newcastle, 3:1–9.
  3. Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, Washington, D.C. https://www.ams.usda.gov
  4. B. Dobrzański, and R. Rybczyński, “Influence of packing method on colour perception improving the appearance of fruits and vegetables”, Research in Agricultural Engineering 54(2), January 2008. https://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/01571.pdf

This article is about the use of spectrophotometer or full spectrum colorimeter for color measurement in fruits, vegetables and further derived products.