Best Practices for Measuring the Color of Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is thicker and darker than white sugar, giving recipes a caramel-like flavor and chewy texture. However, before you mix it into your cookie dough or next bowl of oatmeal, its color must be measured for industry standards.

The International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA) provides a color chart that helps create consistency between all brown sugar products. Measuring the color of your brown sugar product with this scale can help you better understand and meet industry quality requirements.

Using a Spectrophotometer for Brown Sugar Color Measurement

Sugar concentration and UV absorbency are primary factors in measuring sugar color. The best way to find accurate measurements of these values is with a spectrophotometer.

A spectrophotometer discovers a sugar's light absorption levels with light intensity. The UV light will either reflect off or pass through the sample, measuring the brown sugar's exact color and quality.

Measuring Light and Dark Brown Sugar

Dark brown sugar has a higher concentration of molasses than light brown sugar — the only variation between the two is the amount of molasses included. While this difference doesn't always matter in baking, the two types require different quality measurements in production.

Because dark brown sugar is denser than light brown sugar or white sugar, it has a higher ICUMSA value and requires a stronger wavelength for results. Be sure to check the ICUMSA recommendations for your sugar type before testing.

Test Following a Storage Period

If you bake anything at home, you know that brown sugar can harden over time if not stored correctly. When testing your product's color, measure it in all its forms to ensure its safety.

Try sealing it in an airtight container or double bagging it in a second resealable bag. Using another bag of brown sugar, let some of it harden, and soften a portion of this hardened sugar. Then, measure the color and quality of each sample — fresh, hardened, and softened — under a spectrophotometer.

Shop Spectrophotometers From HunterLab

Many steps can go into ensuring your brown sugar product meets ICUMSA values and standards. With HunterLab, you can make the process much more efficient using one of our spectrophotometers. For brown sugar, we recommend looking into our ColorFlex EZ or Vista model for your color measurements of solid and liquid brown sugar, respectively.

For more information on our products or to request a quote for a ColorFlex EZ spectrophotometer, contact HunterLab today!