Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Food Analysis

Abstract

Food is vital for life, thus it is very important to know how to maintain its quality and thus to detect and analyse all components interfering with food quality. This article describes application of spectrofluorometry combined with high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in food analysis. Spectrofluorometry allows measuring structural changes in food proteins, whereas HPLC combined with fluorescence helps to study toxins, pathogenic microbes, heating effects, fat oxidation, vitamins, additives, amino acids, and enzyme activity in food.

Long-Term Ripening Evaluation of Ewes’ Cheeses by Fourier-Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy under Real Industrial Conditions

“…The biochemistry of the cheese ripening is usually evaluated under three general subjects: proteolysis, lipolysis, and glycolysis [11,30]. Among these processes, the first two are considered the most important for the great majority of the matured cheeses [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Therefore, the spectra were subdivided in narrow regions, to ease the interpretation of the data over time.…”

“…The physical-chemical and sensorial characteristics of dairy products can be changed by several factors including herd genetics, health, feeding, and environmental conditions, among others [4]. Cheese ripening involves several biochemical reactions, leading to the development of the unique sensorial attributes for each cheese variety [5][6][7][8][9][10]. The formation of smaller peptides and free amino acids has a direct impact on flavor and texture, due to the breakdown of the protein network [7].…”

Application of Novel Techniques for Monitoring Quality Changes in Meat and Fish Products during Traditional Processing Processes: Reconciling Novelty and Tradition

“…Considering the same spectral range, selectivity/specificity can be improved, whenever possible, by moving from absorption to emission spectroscopy, i.e., considering fluorescence techniques. Molecular fluorescence [62] is based on recording the intensity of the light emitted by a molecule when radiatively relaxing from an excited state to the ground state; in this context, the promotion of a molecule to the excited state is also achieved by the absorption of a photon with a specific wavelength. Since not all the chromophores are fluorescent, the technique has a higher selectivity with respect to its absorption counterpart; however, this can also be a disadvantage, as not all the samples may contain fluorescent molecules, so that, in order to be able to use the technique, a pre-derivatization with fluorescent moieties could be needed.…”

Use of Spectroscopic Techniques to Monitor Changes in Food Quality during Application of Natural Preservatives: A Review

“…Fluorescence is seldom used alone for food analysis, but rather in connection with molecular separation techniques, such as liquid chromatography, e.g., high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which allows the molecules involved in fluorescence to be identified. Such combinations of techniques detect low concentrations of pathogenic microbes, toxins, antibiotics, or food additives, and is a powerful method to detect the causes of food poisoning [ 174 , 186 ]. Fluorescence spectroscopy may also be used for the analysis of structural changes of proteins, characterization of carbohydrates and lipid classes in oils, among many other applications [ 174 , 175 , 187 ].…”