When working with any food product, it's necessary to adhere to strict guidelines to maintain quality and freshness. There are many methods to achieve this, but with the right tools, color measurement becomes an adequate process to achieve this and establish brand consistency. Powdered sugar requires unique care to ensure all legalities are met.
While powdered sugar and brown sugar have an array of differences, they are both a byproduct of sugar cane or sugar beet. Their original form is molasses, but through careful processing and refinement, molasses can turn into brown sugar and then white sugar, which can be ground into this fine-powdered result.
Since powdered sugar is a ground-up version of granulated white sugar, it boasts the same white coloration, marking it as free of the impurities and nutrients that color various types of brown sugar. This refinement process also makes it the perfect topping for glazes, pastries, and donuts. Therefore, the color of powdered sugar can say much about whether the sugar is good for use or needs to undergo further processing before it can become the product your consumers deserve.
Measuring sugar color goes beyond being a good practice — according to the International Commission for Uniform Methods for Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA), it's as good as law.
The ICUMSA creates guidelines that define how pure a sugar sample is through light measurement from a spectrophotometer or colorimeter. The closer the sugar is to white, the less light it will absorb. The color measurement tool provides a numerical value, which can easily translate into the ICUMSA's scoring. The closer to 0 the number gets, the more refined the sugar is. Most white and powdered sugars rank somewhere around 50, while brown sugars often rank near 1,000.
Since light and color measurements for powdered sugar are not easily discerned by the human eye, tools like spectrophotometers offer and accurate and precise measurement system every employee can use. Processing sugar to the desired level becomes easier to achieve, strengthening your in-house procedures and proving your commitment to excellence to both the ICUMSA and your buyers.
HunterLab boasts powerful spectrophotometers ideal for measuring the color of powdered sugar. The Vista spectrophotometer delivers a long life span with USB and ethernet capability, able to measure sugar score and haze percentage at the same time. The ColorFlex L2 is a compact piece of equipment that measures color like human eyes do, assigning samples using any modern color scale or food industry indices. Additionally, the UltraScan VIS measures haze, transmittance, and reflectance and accommodates ongoing same-sample analysis.
Learn more about our impressive powder sugar color measurement tools by contacting us and requesting a quote on our equipment.
HunterLab goes beyond color, delivering precise, science-backed solutions that help industries achieve superior quality and appearance control. As a global leader in spectrophotometry, we empower businesses to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and enhance product consistency—directly impacting the bottom line. By combining innovation, real-world expertise, and sustainable measurement solutions, we help manufacturers optimize production, minimize material loss, and meet the highest industry standards. Follow us on LinkedIn