X-Rite Shows Advanced Solutions to Ensure Color Quality of Foods at IFT10 Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago

X-Rite, Incorporated will demonstrate for the first time its deep toolbox of solutions to ensure the color quality of produce and foodstuffs at the IFT10 Annual Meeting & Food Expo to be held in Chicago from July 17 to 20.

The X-Rite team will show how its instruments and quality control software can be used to measure and monitor the color of a variety of food, ranging from raw fruits and vegetables, prepared foods such as french fries, and foodstuffs made continuously in high-speed production settings such as pasta, chocolate, juices, spreads and baked goods.

Attendees of the IFT10 show can view demonstrations and obtain more X-Rite information at booth 7248 of McCormick Place South. Pre-show information may be obtained by visiting www.xrite.com/ift or contacting Donna Annacone, regional sales manager for southeastern United States and Latin America, at e-mail dannacone@xrite.com. (This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by calling 561.637.9298.)

"Food growers and processors know that the color of their products play an extremely important role in the purchasing decisions of consumers," Annacone said. "As the world's leading designer and manufacturer of color measurement systems, X-Rite now is introducing advanced technologies used in such industries as digital graphics and small appliance manufacturing to the agricultural and the food processing industries."

For instance, X-Rite has the only system approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that food processors use to measure acceptable tolerances of orange juice color from a set standard, Annacone said. The system uses X-Rite's Color i5 benchtop spectrophotometer and Color iQC software package to accurately and quickly measure whether liquid orange juice meets the USDA standards.

Kenneth Phillips, product manager for Non Contact Industrial Markets, said another X-Rite solution, its VeriColor Spectro spectrophotometer, can be used to monitor subtle shifts in the color of products as varied as baby foods and biscuits.

Smaller than a breadbox, the VeriColor Spectro is a non-contact device that mounts directly onto a production line to precisely measure the color of products moving by at fast speeds. The instrument was specifically designed to yield quick and reliable measurements even in demanding factory environments, where fluctuating temperatures, vibration, high humidity and variable lighting conditions are the norm.

In addition to spectrophotometers, X-Rite will be demonstrating customized color matching cards and other standards that operators can use to quickly determine whether the color of foodstuffs is acceptable.

In one application for fruits, the technicians at X-Rite's Munsell Color Services coated spheres the approximate size as pomegranates with the standardized paints so the sorting machines of a major pomegranate farm could be calibrated properly. The farm had a particular need for the spherical color standards because the company employs both analog and digital camera sorting machines made by different manufacturers. The machines use video cameras to view each piece of fruit and classify the produce by dimensions, proper color and blemishes.

Annacone said X-Rite decided to participate in the IFT10 for the first time because it has developed a wide assortment of tools that can be easily adapted by food growers and processors to maintain high standards of color quality in a cost effective manner.

(NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes design industry color leader Pantone, Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite's expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.

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