Dependence between apparent color and extractable color in paprika

The color properties of 96 paprika samples were evaluated by tristimulus re flectance measurements. The extractable color (ASTA units) of all these sam ples was also determined The linear correlation between individual CIELAB p arameters and extractable color was very poor. Several color indices used w ith other foods were shown to be of insufficient accuracy for predicting th e extractable color in paprika. A new color index for paprika (PACI) is pro posed based on the CIELAB coordinates L* (lightness), a* (red-blue), and h (hue angle), and it is calculated as "1000a*/(L*+h)". This new index showed a high correlation with the logarithm of extractable color (r = 0.9662) an d was able to distinguish between sample groups of different ASTA units. (C ) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.