Color Assay (Lovibond)

Color is a key quality criterion in many sectors, particularly for edible oils, fats, liquid extracts, and certain cosmetic or nutraceutical formulations. The Lovibond scale is an internationally recognized method for measuring color, based on evaluation in yellow and red units. It is a reference tool for quality control and visual conformity of products.

Lovibond comparator analysis allows for precise and standardized color quantification, ensuring consistency between batches and improved consumer acceptability.

Importance of Lovibond Scale Dosage

The color of oils and liquid extracts is a direct indicator of their purity, stability, and quality. The Lovibond scale serves several purposes:

• ensure the conformity of food and cosmetic products to current visual standards
• objectively compare different production batches
• control the consistency and homogeneity of raw materials
• detect any degradation or oxidation linked to storage or transport
• strengthen traceability and transparency with customers and distributors

This method is particularly appreciated in the food industry, where color directly influences the organoleptic perception and market value of oils.

Principle of the Lovibond method

Lovibond color determination is based on an optical comparator using colored glass filters. The liquid sample is compared visually or optically to standardized filters according to two main scales:

• yellow units (Y)
• red units (R)

The results are expressed as numerical values ​​that allow the product color to be precisely characterized. This approach is widely used in quality control laboratories and is a simple, reproducible method that complies with international standards.

Affected matrices

The Lovibond scale is particularly suitable for the analysis of liquid and clear products, including:

• edible oils (vegetable oils, refined oils, crude oils)
• clarified fats and butters
• essential oils and liquid extracts used in cosmetics and nutraceuticals
• plant solutions or concentrated extracts

This method is used on both raw materials and finished products, guaranteeing complete monitoring of the production chain.

Industrial applications

Colorimetric measurement by Lovibond is a reference tool in several sectors:

• in the food industry, to control the color of vegetable oils, fats and processed products
• in cosmetics, to check the uniformity of essential oils and liquid formulations
• in nutraceuticals, to standardize the color of liquid plant-based extracts
• in animal nutrition, to ensure the visual consistency of oils and fats used as ingredients

The Lovibond method thus helps to strengthen quality control and regulatory compliance while meeting consumer expectations.

Additional analyses available

YesWeLab offers several complementary analyses to evaluate the visual and physicochemical properties of oils and extracts:

Color determination (Minolta)
Peroxide value
Acid value
Turbidity analysis

These associated analyses make it possible to characterize the quality of oils and fats more broadly, and to strengthen the reliability of quality controls.

YesWeLab expertise

YesWeLab collaborates with a network of partner laboratories specialized in physicochemical and colorimetric analyses, rigorously selected and for the most part ISO 17025 certified and COFRAC accredited.

Since 2020, our digital platform has facilitated analysis management for manufacturers, distributors, and design offices. It centralizes requests, enables real-time sample tracking, and guarantees fast and reliable results.

Our scientific team supports each project with precision and responsiveness, in order to meet the specific requirements of different industrial sectors.