The color of Cheese varies in shades of yellow and orange depending on milk and food colorant used in it’s manufacturing. Beta-carotene, a natural pigment found in milk, gives vegetables the orange color they appear. The variation in the yellow color of Cheese is due to the variation of the Beta-carotene levels in the milk that is used to make the Cheese. The variation in the Beta-carotene level of milk is due to the variation in diet of the animal.
Cheese manufacturers use “annatto”, a natural food colorant, to standardize the color of Cheese. The amount of annatto that needs to be used is different for different varieties of Cheese, manufactured at different locations. Manufacturers use the National Cheese Institute (NCI) cheese color standard chart as their reference for visually comparing the color of Cheese. However, results from comparison of color done visually may not be accurate as they involve human errors, lighting variations.
Variation in color of Cheese at the retail store can damage the brand reputation of the manufacturer. Hence, the manufacturers today rely on scientific color measuring instruments to maintain consistency in their production. The use of such device becomes indispensable when color consistency of Cheese is needed to be maintained when the manufacturing plant is located in many places.
