Monitoring the Quality Parameters of Mango Juices Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Abstract

The potential of fluorescence spectroscopy has been effectively utilized to assess and analyze commercially available mango juice samples, enabling their characterization and differentiation based on their unique fluorescence signatures. These fluorescence emission spectra exhibit distinct and pronounced peaks at wavelength of 445, 469, 522, 545, 580, 634, 674 and 772 nm indicating the presence of various fluorophores including water content, beta carotene, tartrazine color and components of chlorophyll. Adulteration effects were analyzed by the addition of water and food color in the original pulp. Furthermore, thermal effects on the molecular composition of mango pulp are presented. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been utilized for the characterization of different brands of commercially available mango juices for the greater understanding. The analysis classified mango juice brands into two main clusters, with some juices scattered separately, indicating variations in mango pulp content and adulteration. The clustering patterns correlated with label information, particularly regarding water and mango pulp percentages. Additionally, PCA revealed that the amount of chlorophyll and carotenoid was a significant determinant in the classification of mango juice samples. In general, fluorescence emission spectroscopy along with PCA proved to be successful in classifying mango juice brands according to their spectral characteristics, offering information on composition and quality.