The quality of foods depends on agricultural, technological and commercial factors of diverse nature, which determine to a great extent their quality and sensory features. The new trends as far as the control of food safety and quality is concerned call for new tools for the continuous monitoring of their production through rapid, objective and effective analytical methods.

In relation to this, there is no doubt that the colour and appearance of foods are the first contact points of the consumers with them, having therefore a deep influence on their preferences and choices. Food colours are ultimately due to a myriad of chemical compounds, which are then much related to the sensory perception of the foods they occur in and to the overall quality of the product.

The research of the group “Food Colour & Quality” (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) is mainly aimed at assessing food quality and its control. Among our different research lines we are focused on the development of new objective and rapid methods for the effective quality control of foods based on Tristimulus Colorimetry and on the study of the relationships colour-chemical composition-sensory perception of foodstuffs, such as wine, juices, edible oils and honeys, among others. Thus, as a result of several research projects funded by the food industry and relevant state funding bodies, our research group has carried out diverse studies targeted to the implementation of state-of-the-art quality control systems.