DigiEye - Food & Drink
The visual aspect of food, its colour and overall appearance, is one of the most important factors influencing the consumer. There is a direct correlation between colour appearance and the product’s quality, maturity and the perception of being ‘fit for purpose’. This correlation has a significant impact on how produce and ingredients are quality controlled for colour throughout the supply chain.
It has never been more important to control colour from source to store in order to;
- Minimise wastage.
- Maximise retail revenues.
- Protect the integrity of the brand.
- Realise supply chain efficiencies.
The traditional method of visual Quality Control has been either;
Visual Assessment with uncontrolled or inconsistent viewing methods in terms of the Viewer, the Light Source and the Angle of Observation.
Instrumental Measurement (Spectrophotometer / Colorimeter) but with restrictions and limitations; they work well on flat, opaque objects but are very limited by the diversity of food products; irregular shape & form, inconsistent surface texture and sheen. They are also restricted by the aperture size, averaging the colour of the selected area.
Crucially, the results bear no relationship as to how the human eye see colour or the overall product appearance.
The DigiEye system from VeriVide is different; digitally capturing and measuring texture, colour & appearance with an amazingly high resolution, using great precision, and with methods that are consistent and repeatable. Importantly it measures colour in context, not in isolation.
DigiEye measures food in context with other product in the batch, with the other visual ingredients of the product and within the context of the packaging, even liquids within transparent bottles.
Put simply, it measures the colour in context - as seen by the consumer and provides quantifiable, consistent visual assessment against an agreed visual standard.
- DigiEye is a digital colour imaging system with many proven applications throughout the Food Sector. Specifically designed to offer industry the ability to consistently and reliably measure colour and appearance, using a non-contact method.
- The system includes a characterised SLR camera, recording colour data at millions of points. This, combined with a calibrated monitor and printer provides accurate visual on-screen representation of the product and printed colour accurate photographic images for use as master product standards.
- Product images are captured in the enclosed ‘DigiEye Cube’ eliminating all ambient light, ensuring the product image is captured in consistent lighting, giving authentic representations of the product.
- The system is versatile and can accommodate a wide array of food types. It can measure objects as small as a grain of wheat. The total field of view of around 40 cm x 50 cm.
Samples are placed upon a neutral grey background within the DigiEye Cube, allowing the image to be captured in a controlled, consistent and standardised environment. The lighting used closely matches the CIE D65 lighting and can be used with different illumination geometries, including Angled and Diffuse lighting.
Direct and immediate product comparisons can be made of samples in different global locations and over differing periods of time. This, for example, has proved invaluable for research of product shelf life and colour stability of food products.
The ability to communicate images and data electronically facilitates quick and dependable visual product comparisons, with the associated opportunities of increased consistency and reliability of food product and ingredients.
Please move your mouse over images of biscuits on the right to see illustrations of the differing visual appearance obtained from using the angled and the diffuse lighting within the DigiEye System.
DIFFUSE ILLUMINATION - Diffuse illumination removes specular reflections of products with glossy and curved surfaces enabling reliable colour measurement of food product such as tomatoes and apples.
ANGLED ILLUMINATION - Angled illumination allows the varying surface structures and textures of food products to be clearly displayed, measured and evaluated.
.jpg "The Benefits of DigiEye")
| Non-contact colour measurement, surpassing the capabilities and restrictions of the spectrophotometer. | Increases tremendously the types of food stuffs that can now be accurately colour measured. |
| A totally enclosed area for sample image capture. | Eliminating the detrimental effects of ambient lighting. Controlled & consistent lighting ensuring controlled, reliable & repeatable results. |
| ‘Colour Clustering’ - measurement of the differently coloured visible elements in a food or mixture. | Unlike a colorimeter or spectrophotometer, which averages colour data, DigiEye can calculate the percentage of each visible colour. Supplying quantifiable quality control data for each element in context with the total sample. |
| Global electronic communication of product colour, shape, size & texture together with unequivocal colour data. | Visual consistency across multi-location production units and improved product reliability as colour data and images can become part of the product specifications. |
| The system has easy to use controls, suitable for all levels of computer proficiency. | As the camera settings are largely controlled by the DigiEye Software, there is no requirement for prior photographic knowledge. |
| Ability to measure powders and liquids without the need to dispense or decant product. | Measurement of colour as seen by the consumer, e.g. liquid within a transparent bottle or the colour or the consistency of yogurts or ice cream as the lid is peeled back. |
| Colour Replacement feature. | Digitally change the on-screen colour of the product to assess the alternate colours of new and existing products, e.g. changes in the colour of icing on biscuits or cakes. |
| Easy retrieval of master production standards. | Removes subjective manual visual assessment during production. The system enables timely detection of non-standard product, creating opportunities for a reduction in retailer returns & significant waste and cost reduction. |
| Measures ‘Colour in Context’. | Measure the colour of the total sample, multiple areas of the sample or specific small areas thereby optimising brand integrity & sell-through revenues. Validate colour as seen by the consumer. |
There is a wide array of diverse end-use applications with the Food Sector for the DigiEye System. These include;
- Visual Quality control across multiple production locations.
- Post-harvest storage trials recording visual compositional changes.
- Measurement of visual coverage area of coatings such as icing & enrobing.
- Ensuing product is kept within established tolerances through visual and numeric values.
- Assessment of the effects on product colour during trials for removing shellfish from the shells.
- Measurement of colour and appearance changes using differing process methods.
- Colour measurement and analysis of product, such as yogurts & sauces without separating the components.
- Percentage measurements of visible proportions of product, e.g. mixed vegetables, salads and cakes.
- Production of images used in the specifications of frozen fruit and vegetables.
If you wish to know more about the DigiEye System please contact Russell Thorpe
Email: r.thorpe@verivide.com Tel: +44 (0)116 284 7790
We also have a full colour leaflet (below) which we will be happy to post to you if you include your address in the email. Alternatively click on the leaflet below to open a PDF version of the DigiEye Food Leaflet.
We also have a Case Study detailing the use of the DigiEye System at Campden BRI in the UK. This can be downloaded by clicking on the image below.
