{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T13:03:10Z","timestamp":1785243790281,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Correlated color temperature (CCT) can substantially influence image-based color measurements, though its effects vary with the optical and physical properties of the meat surface being evaluated. This study investigated the effects of CCT on the image-based color properties of skinless chicken breast and skin-on drumstick samples. It evaluated the suitability of 6500 K as a reference condition. Seventeen skinless breast and seventeen skin-on drumstick samples were repeatedly photographed under 13 CCT conditions ranging from 2500 to 8500 K at 500 K intervals, producing 442 observations. Camera settings, imaging geometry, illuminance, and sample position were maintained constant. Image-derived L*, a*, and b* values were obtained using the Fiji freeware program, and chroma (C*), whiteness index (WI), yellowness index (YI), browning index (BI), and total color difference (\u0394E*ab) relative to 6500 K were calculated. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models, and the common variation in L*, a*, and b* was summarized by principal component analysis. Sample type, CCT, and their interaction significantly affected all evaluated parameters (p &lt; 0.001). Increasing CCT generally increased L* and WI, while a*, b*, C*, YI, and BI decreased markedly, indicating a transition toward a lighter and less chromatic image-derived appearance. The largest deviations from the 6500 K reference occurred at 2500 K, with \u0394E*ab values of 42.86 and 43.57 for breast and drumstick samples, respectively. Even at 6000 K, only 500 K below the reference condition, \u0394E*ab exceeded 4.0 in both breast and drumstick samples, indicating visually perceptible color differences. Visually relevant differences also persisted above 6500 K. The first principal component explained 86.89% of the total variance and described the coordinated increase in lightness and reduction in redness and yellowness with increasing CCT. These findings demonstrate that CCT is a major source of systematic variability in image-based poultry color analysis workflow; therefore, 6500 K should not be treated as a universal reference unless the complete illumination, camera, calibration, and image-processing protocol is standardized and validated for the specific poultry surface being examined.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15152602","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T05:49:27Z","timestamp":1785131367000},"page":"2602","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Correlated Color Temperature Affects Image-Based Color Analysis of Chicken Breast and Drumstick: Implications for Using 6500 K as a Reference"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7818-1372","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alper","family":"G\u00fcng\u00f6ren","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kastamonu University, 37150 Kastamonu, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G\u00fcl\u015fah","family":"G\u00fcng\u00f6ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kastamonu University, 37150 Kastamonu, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12473","DOI":"10.22175\/mmb.12473","article-title":"American Meat Science Association Guidelines for Meat Color Measurement","volume":"6","author":"King","year":"2023","journal-title":"Meat Muscle Biol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barbut, S., and Leishman, E.M. 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