Novel spectroscopic measurements for agri-food systems

Edinburgh Biosciences Ltd and Heriot-Watt University have agreed on a collaboration to apply novel developments in spectroscopic measurements to the agrifood sector. Narrow wavelength sources will be coupled to newly designed wedge interference filters to develop instruments allowing either rapid single wavelength measurements or wider wavelength scanning in the UV-visible spectral range. These instruments will be used to analyse target food systems and processes of interest to the agrifood sector, in particular dairy products and brewed and distilled products.
The focus of the measurements will be to determine changes in absorbance or fluoresence spectra obtained from such samples. Of particular interest are changes in peak structure, shape and ratios over narrow wavelengths. The relationship among such changes and underlying changes in the samples/process involved will be investigated.
By the end of the project, EBS and HWU expect to have developed prototype instruments for field testing and a suite of core measurement procedures tested for wider deployment to other materials/processes of interest across the sector.