Color Measurement to Determine Cocoa Bean Quality
Before cocoa powder becomes finely ground, the beans need to be appropriately fermented first. The beans are divided based on their color to assess the degree of fermentation. Fully fermented beans will be the desired brown color that everyone associates with cocoa powder. Inadequately fermented beans will range from partly brown and partly purple to fully purple and salty.
Measuring the color of your cocoa beans before they are ground into a powder can help you determine imperfections before the final product.
Understand the Importance of Cocoa Powder Color
Once the beans are ground, measure the color of the cocoa powder. Measuring color at this stage helps you see what your customers will see. Like when the cocoa is in bean form, cocoa powder color will:
- Determine final product color: Because of cocoa powder's rich hue, its color will show in the final baked goods. Keeping consistent with cocoa powder color standards ensures baked items turn out as desired.
- Reflect flavor quality: Even though cocoa powder isn't sold in white, dark, or milk chocolate varieties, a darker color will assume a richer flavor. A lighter purple color will likely give a more subtle taste.
Measure the Color of Cocoa Powder Using the ColorFlex EZ
Make the color measuring process much easier using a spectrophotometer like the ColorFlex EZ. This smart device makes cocoa powder measurements simple, fast, practical, and portable — all while providing accurate color results comparable to human vision. The ColorFlex EZ easily measures small particle samples, such as powder.
