Testing of scanner and colour-meter for observation of changes during storage of two selected foods

This study investigated the changes in the appearance of banana peel during its maturation and the changes in colour and aroma of Kladno cooked pork loin stored in refrigerator and at room temperature. A possible relation between these changes and the degree of cooked pork loin spoilage was also studied. A colorimeter CR-300 Minolta and a desktop colour scanner were used. The banana maturation process was monitored at three different temperatures (6.4; 14; 25 deg C). As concerns colour and shrinking, the storage at 14 deg C was the best one, whereas at 6.4 deg C, the colour turned straight black-brown. A banana stored in a room matured very quickly, 20 % shrinkage happened after 13 days. These results verified that the table scanner can be used for monitoring banana colour and shape changes. The changes in colour and aroma of Kladno cooked pork loin occurred earlier and were more pronounced during the storage at room temperature than during the storage in a refrigerator. Sensory observations of aroma showed changes earlier than instrumental measures of colour. The differences between samples stored at room temperature in light and in darkness were insignificant.