Colour is a critical factor in consumer perception and the acceptance of food. The colour of food affects our judgement of that food. It is one of the most important quality attributes along with taste and texture (Burrows, 2009). There is an extremely well known, almost hackneyed phrase amongst chefs which is:-
Loss of colour through browning and fading is a good indicator to us all of aging, staleness, loss of quality in terms of nutrition and flavour. Quite often colour intensity declines during processing of a food. All food and ingredient producers and manufacturers have sough out ways to address this issue. It involves modifying the processing conditions to minimise loss and to add both natural and synthetic grade colours as ingredients. Natural pigments from plants are readily used to provide a more vibrant alternative to the synthetic colours which come with toxicity issues although not with all.
There are many sensory techniques available that can be used in the examination of colour.
References
(2009). Palette of our palates: A brief history of food coloring and its regulation. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 8(4), pp. 394–408 (Article)
Chan M. and Kane-Martinelli, C. 1997. The effect of colour on perceived flavour intensity and acceptance of foods by young adults and elderly adults. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97 pp. 657-658
I think this is an important subject that I teach my students about. It is easier to explain about color than the flavour or aroma perceptions of a food. I start off with some simple descriptions on food colour and then do the standard tests by way of illustration. Flavour is tackled later in the programme.
Nice piece. You will see it in my M.Sc. thesis soon ! haha !
Useful aerticle. Used it for my essay.