Measuring starch content (and, therefore, starch color), is different than measuring the color of most foods. The difference is that starch is usually already present in food, so before you can measure it, you have to separate it. At HunterLab, we've made all aspects of food color measurement our specialty, so we have plenty of tips to help you start measuring starch in your food.
Testing for starch in food requires a chemical reaction, and that reaction is best made with iodine. Iodine reacts with amylose, one of the two compounds that make up starch. It's important to note that iodine is toxic when ingested and can stain skin and fabric. If you choose to introduce iodine testing into your starch color measurements, be sure you and your team use adequate protection and take care not to ingest or have prolonged content with your samples.
You can test any food or liquid for starch in just a few steps. First, gather your equipment — you'll need the product you're testing, cups or containers to separate samples, water, and iodine. Once you have your supplies, follow these directions carefully:
How will you know if the iodine reaction indicates the presence of starch? Within minutes, your iodine sample will begin to develop a dark blue or black hue, indicating the iodine and starch are reacting. The darker the color gets, the more starch is present.
When you measure the color of this reaction, you're not measuring the starch itself, but instead, the amount of starch reacting to the iodine. Using a spectrophotometer to measure the color of the iodine is still a suitable method of measuring the amount of starch in your products.
Product consistency is about every ingredient that goes into your outcome, and measuring starch is just one way to get started. HunterLab's spectrophotometers like ColorFlex L2 offer you a new method of maintaining consistency in everything you distribute. Get started today by requesting a quote.
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