Sensegood spectrophotometer for whiteness measurement and quality control in sago pearls (sabudana)

Sago pearls also known by other names; sabudana, saksak, rabia or sagu is a staple food in parts of the tropics. Indonesia and Papua New Guinea combined produce approximately 94.6 percent [1] of the world production which is followed by Malaysia. Indonesia, the biggest producer of sago starch in the world, produces 585,093 metric ton per year. [2]The most quantity is exported to Europe and North America.



Recently number of modern starch factories has increased. Accordingly improvements in hygiene and due to modern processing techniques including hydro-cyclone process, whiteness rating of sago starch has risen to 83 and beyond. [3],[4]

Sensegood spectrophotometer is an analytical color measurement instrument that is widely accepted in the industry and research fraternity. It comprehensively evaluates the color attributes of various samples, including solids, liquids, powders and pastes. Sensegood spectrophotometer has rotating sample platform with large viewing area (sensor’s field of view). It takes multiple measurements over number of rotations and generates average result representing the sample’s color. As a result, consistency can be maintained and quality standards can be met with less waste, time, and effort.

The quality and hence the market price of sago is primarily determined by its color and appearance, especially its 'whiteness'. Sensegood spectrophotometer captures sago sample’s color and indicates single number – whiteness index to control the consistency and quality of sago pearls.

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References :

1. P. Istalaksana, et.al, “Conversion of natural sago forest into a sustainable sago palm plantation at Masirei District, Indonesia: feasibility study,” in Proceedings of the 8th Int. Sago Symp., pp. 65–77, Universitas Negeri Papua Press, 2005. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/10029619341/
2. M. Ahmad, “Farmer empowerment to increase productivity of sago (Metroxylon sago spp) farming,” International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 129–133, 2014. https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.4.3.384
3. Book by Hiroshi Ehara, Yukio Toyoda, Dennis V. Johnson, Sago Palm: Multiple Contributions to Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods, 2018, Springer. ISBN 978-981-10-5269-9. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811052682
4. Water conservation and effluent reduction in the cassava starch extraction industries using hydrocyclone technology [2000] by Trim, D.S. Marder, R.C.(University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime (United Kingdom). Natural Resources Institute)http://agris.fao.org/

This article is about the use of spectrophotometer or full spectrum colorimeter or whiteness meter for whiteness measurement in sago pearls.