Caramel tinctorial strength

Sikora, M., Tomasik, R, and Palasilski, M., Enhancement of tinctorial strength of non-ammonia caramels, Starke, 41, 275, 1989. 

Caramel is unintentionally generated in burnt carbohydrate foods (rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, etc.) and molasses (Kowkabany et al., 1953) it is the source of maple flavor and color in the concentration of maple sap to maple syrup (Stinson and Willits, 1965). In industrial manufacturing, the intended application is taken into account, because reaction conditions help determine the properties of the pyrolysate, e.g., its tinctorial value, water solubility, and alcohol stability. Tinctorial value refers to the absorbance at 560 nm of a 0.1-wt/vol% solution in a 1-cm cell. Tinctorial strength increases with acidity, temperature, and duration of heating. Caramel manufactured above pH 6.3 is biologically unstable and much below pH 3.1, it is a resin. 

The pH values of caramels are given in Table I they constitute an important property of caramels. A high pH may indicate an incomplete bum, or alkali present. In either case, the tinctorial strength [defined as the absorbance at 560 nm of a 0.1% (wt/vol) solution of caramel in a quartz cell (10 X 10 mm)] of the product increases as the product ages. Above pH 6.0, caramel is susceptible to attack by molds, and, below pH 2.5, it quite readily resinifies. For caramel solutions, the acid stability is commonly determined in practice, this is a test for cloudiness of solutions under the influence of an acidic medium. ... 

Tinctorial strength " is one of the most important properties of caramels. It is complemented by the hue index, which is the logaii m of the ratio ofabsorbancesmeasuredatSlOandhlO nm, respectively, multiplied by 10. The resulting value indicates the redness of a caramel. 

It is well known that caramels from ammonia processes used to have a higher tinctorial strength than the other caramels. Even so, the color properties of ammonia caramels may appear to be insuflicient. All attempts to produce a caramel of higher tinctorial strength may result in formation of a product having other undesirable properties, among them, a higher content of 4(5)-methylimidazole. Decades ago, studies were developed on the en-... 

Caramel color has four classes, known as caramel colors L 11, III, and IV. End use, manufacturing process, physical and chemical properties differ among them, and the classes are primarily based on the use of ammonium compounds, sulfite compound or both types of reactants in their manufacture. However, the preparation of caramel colors I and II also requires the use of salts, alkalis, and food-grade acids. Having different colloidal characteristics, tinctorial strengths, and varying acidic pHs, each color has preferred uses as colorant that is reflected in their synonyms Caramel color I (spirit caramel) caramel color II (process caramel) caramel color III (beer caramel) and caramel color IV (soft-drink caramel). About 70% of all caramel color used worldwide is caramel color IV that is made using both ammonium and sulfite compounds as reactants. ... 

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