The color assessment ability of a multispectral vision system is investigated by a comparison study with color
measurements from a traditional colorimeter. The experiment involves fresh and processed meat samples.
Meat is a complex material; heterogeneous with varying scattering and reflectance properties, so several factors
can influence the instrumental assessment of meat color. In order to assesswhether two methods are equivalent,
the variation due to these factors must be taken into account. A statistical analysis was conducted and showed
that on a calibration sheet the two instruments are equally capable of measuring color. Moreover the vision system
provides a more color rich assessment of fresh meat samples with a glossier surface, than the colorimeter.
Careful studies of the different sources of variation enable an assessment of the order of magnitude of the
variability between methods accounting for other sources of variation leading to the conclusion that color assessment
using a multispectral vision system is superior to traditional colorimeter assessments.
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