CARACTERIZACIóN COLORIMéTRICA DEL MANJAR BLANCO DEL VALLE

the manjar blanco from the region of valle del cauca in colombia is considered a gastronomic and cultural symbol; is a type of milk jam that includes an addition of starch. the color is one of the most important attributes of food. the color measurement has applications in quality control and products development. in this work, the color (cie-l*a*b* scale) of manjar blanco was studied testing four (4) traditional brands that are produced in the region, evaluating the color parameters (l*, a*, b*) of three batches for each brand. the samples were characterized physically finding ph values between 5,73 and 6,02 and brix degrees between 65,16 and 76,47. the average values for color parameters determined by experimentation were: l* 43,60, a* 14,58 and b* 34,67. this study shows us a wide variability of the product color between batches and brands. this finding concludes that is needed a standardization of procedures in production and raw material in order to achieve a product with constant features.