Tristimulus colorimetric pigment prediction in food: a review

The colour of food is suggested to stimulate appetite and digestion and has been reported as an indicator of fresh produce quality for consumers. Importantly, their relatively unstable chemical structure makes the both pigment groups potent antioxidants when consumed in the diet.

Colorimetric analysis is proposed as a non-destructive method to estimate carotenoid and anthocyanin content in different foods, a more accessible aid and/or alternative to traditional chemical assays (eg., high-performance liquid chromatography, spectrophotometry, etc.). Colour can be measured quantitatively with tristimulus colorimeters or digital image analyses via standardised three-dimensional colour spaces (eg., CIELab/Ch, RGB) and their individual colour parameters.