Precision Colour Control: Choosing the Right HunterLab Spectrophotometer
In the highly competitive Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical and Agriculture sectors, colour is more than just an aesthetic feature—it is a critical indicator of quality, consistency, and freshness. For executives, quality control (QC) managers, and product development teams, achieving objective, repeatable color measurement is non-negotiable for protecting brand integrity and ensuring regulatory compliance.
HunterLab, the world leader in color science, provides the definitive instruments for this task. But with a wide range of advanced instruments, which spectrophotometer is the best fit for your specific application, whether you are analysing a field of grain or a finished gourmet product?
Here is a concise guide to the leading, current HunterLab spectrophotometers, curated by Graintec Scientific, detailing how each is engineered for peak performance across various high-demand industries.
The Non-Contact Specialist: HunterLab Aeros
Best for: Agriculture (Grains, Seeds), Snack Foods, Spices, Powders, and Irregular/Heterogeneous Samples.
The HunterLab Aeros is a revolution for industries dealing with challenging samples. Traditional spectrophotometers can struggle to accurately measure heterogeneous, rough, or bulky materials like raw grains, roasted nuts, spices, and breakfast cereals, as the sample presentation is rarely uniform.
The Aeros solves this challenge through three key features:
- Non-Contact Measurement: The instrument measures the sample without touching it, dramatically reducing preparation time and cleanup, which is a major benefit in fast-paced manufacturing and receival environments.
- Largest Measurement Area: It boasts the largest measurement area of any spectrophotometer, coupled with a rotating sample platform. This ensures that a massive, representative portion of the sample is analyzed, providing an accurate reading for even the most non-uniform products.
- Focus: Agricultural Receival Sites and Snack Food Production. When you need reliable, high-volume grain analysis or QC of bulk material colour consistency, the Aeros is engineered for unmatched speed and accuracy.
The Universal Reference Instrument: HunterLab UltraScan PRO
Best for: High-End R&D, Complex Liquids (Syrups, Oils, Juices), Transparent Films (packaging), and Pharmaceuticals.
The HunterLab UltraScan PRO is the definitive choice when your applications demand the highest level of precision and versatility, often serving as the primary reference instrument in R\&D laboratories. It goes beyond simple visible colour measurement, providing the most comprehensive data available.
- Full Spectrum Coverage: It measures reflected and transmitted colour across an extended wavelength range (350 nm – 1050 nm), including the near-infrared and near-ultraviolet regions. This is vital for accurately measuring samples that contain UV-activated whitening agents or highly specific colorants.
- Dual Geometry: With the ability to precisely measure both reflected and transmitted colour, it effortlessly handles a complete spectrum of sample types—from highly opaque solids (e.g., coffee beans) to clear liquids (e.g., edible oils, beverages) and translucent films (e.g., food packaging).
- Focus: Beverage Product Development and Manufacturing Quality Control for fine ingredients where trace elements or deep spectral analysis are necessary to ensure regulatory adherence and product stability.
The Reliable QC Workhorse: HunterLab UltraScan VIS
Best for: General Production QC, Standardised Solids/Liquids, Process Monitoring, and Consistency Testing.
The HunterLab UltraScan VIS is designed to be the robust and reliable workhorse for routine quality control in Food & Beverage manufacturing and laboratory settings. While equally precise, it focuses on the visible spectrum, making it ideal for the vast majority of daily color management needs.
- Exceptional Precision: It provides outstanding precision for opaque, transparent, translucent, and even dark and highly saturated samples within the visible light spectrum (360 nm – 780 nm).
- Consistency Focus: Engineered for exceptional long-term stability and inter-instrument agreement, the UltraScan VIS ensures that QC results are consistent across multiple manufacturing sites or supply chains. You can trust that any measured difference is due to product variation, not instrument variability.
- Focus: Food Manufacturing QC and Lab Analysis. It measures reflectance, transmittance, and haze, making it perfectly suited for checking finished product colour consistency, inspecting raw materials, and monitoring day-to-day processing parameters.
Choosing Your Path to Perfect Colour Consistency
Selecting the right spectrophotometer is a critical investment in your product's quality and your company's reputation.
| HunterLab Model | Ideal Sample Type | Core Application Focus | Key Differentiating Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aeros | Irregular, Bulk, Heterogeneous Solids (Grains, Nuts) | High-Volume Agriculture & Snack Food QC | Non-Contact Measurement & Large Area Analysis |
| UltraScan PRO | Complex Liquids, Highly Transparent/Translucent Samples, Pills | Pharmaceutical R&D, Specialized Food QC | Full-Spectrum (UV/NIR) Coverage & Reference Performance |
| UltraScan VIS | Standard Solids and Liquids, Translucent Samples | Routine Production QC and Lab Consistency | Exceptional Inter-Instrument Agreement (VIS Spectrum) |
For executives driving quality initiatives, for product teams developing the next consumer favourite, and for QC labs maintaining daily standards, these HunterLab instruments represent the gold standard in objective color consistency and quality assurance.
Click here to check out the range of HunterLab spectrophotometers.
Take the Next Step Towards Flawless Quality
Are you ready to elevate your quality control processes, eliminate subjective colour assessments, and ensure absolute product consistency?
The team at Graintec Scientific are your trusted experts for HunterLab solutions across Australia. Contact us today to discuss your specific applications, or request a quote on the UltraScan PRO, UltraScan VIS, or Aeros.