SciAps HH LIBS analyzer used to authenticate cheese and coffee beans

October 27, 2023

Publication: Sungho Shin, Iyll-Joon Doh, Kennedy Okeyo, Euiwon Bae, J. Paul Robinson, and Bartek Rajwa. “Hybrid Raman and Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Food Authentication Applications,” 16 August 2023, Molecules 2023, 28(16).

“Combating food fraud on a global scale is a challenge that demands a multidisciplinary approach. The integration of various methods is crucial for enhancing the reliability and efficacy of food safety measures. The outcomes of the study indicate that the Hy-R-LIBS system, coupled with its chemometric strategies, might be employed for food authentication with promising results.”

Abstract: The issue of food fraud has become a significant global concern as it affects both the quality and safety of food products, ultimately resulting in the loss of customer trust and brand loyalty. To address this problem, we have developed an innovative approach that can tackle various types of food fraud, including adulteration, substitution, and dilution. Our methodology utilizes an integrated system that combines laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy. Although both techniques emerged as valuable tools for food analysis, they have until now been used separately, and their combined potential in food fraud has not been thoroughly tested. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the potential benefits of integrating Raman and LIBS modalities in a portable system for improved product classification and subsequent authentication. In pursuit of this objective, we designed and tested a compact, hybrid Raman/LIBS system, which exhibited distinct advantages over the individual modalities. Our findings illustrate that the combination of these two modalities can achieve higher accuracy in product classification, leading to more effective and reliable product authentication. Overall, our research highlights the potential of hybrid systems for practical applications in a variety of industries. The integration and design were mainly focused on the detection and characterization of both elemental and molecular elements in various food products. Two different sets of solid food samples (sixteen Alpine-style cheeses and seven brands of Arabica coffee beans) were chosen for the authentication analysis. Class detection and classification were accomplished through the use of multivariate feature selection and machine-learning procedures. The accuracy of classification was observed to improve by approximately 10% when utilizing the hybrid Raman/LIBS spectra, as opposed to the analysis of spectra from the individual methods. This clearly demonstrates that the hybrid system can significantly improve food authentication accuracy while maintaining the portability of the combined system. Thus, the successful implementation of a hybrid Raman-LIBS technique is expected to contribute to the development of novel portable devices for food authentication in food as well as other various industries.

Keywords: laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS); Raman spectroscopy; compact and combined system; food authentication; simultaneous atomic and molecular analysis

Access to publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28166087

About this journal: Molecules is the leading international, peer-reviewed, open access journal of chemistry. Molecules is published semimonthly online by MDPI. The International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA), the Spanish Society of Medicinal Chemistry (SEQT) and the International Society of Heterocyclic Chemistry (ISHC) are affiliated with Molecules and their members receive a discount on the article processing charges.

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