Application of on-line 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometrics for qualitative and quantitative analysis in the sugar industry
Analytik is the UK distributor of BioView, a unique on-line tool for process monitoring using 2D fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometrics.
An application note is available, which outlines an example of the benefits BioView offers in the sugar refining industry.
Fluorescence spectroscopy as compared with other techniques is a powerful tool because of its sensitivity and selectivity.
Additionally, new enhancements in optics, increased scan speeds, and modern chemometric methods, means that this type of instrumentation can now be taken out of the laboratory and used for on-line industrial or process analytical technology (Pat) applications.
The Bioview is a 2D fluorescence spectrophotometer, which is connected to the process stream by a specially designed, liquid filled optical light guide.
The light guide enables far greater light throughput than conventional fibre-optics, and hence the sensitivity of the fluorescence technique can be exploited to the full.
Measurements are made by changing the excitation wavelength and recording the emission spectra each time the excitation wavelength changes.
The collection of a complete 2D data set takes just two minutes, which means continuous measurements and monitoring of processes on line are possible.
The 2D map provides a real selective fingerprint of individual components, products and processes.
The application of chemometrics to such data has previously been limited to a univariate approach whereby only one set of excitation and emission wavelengths is measured.
However, new chemometric methods now allow a multivariate approach, which keeps intact the data integrity of 2D fluorescence landscapes.
The advantage of the multivariate approach is increased confidence in data interpretation and therefore accuracy and reproducibility of the predictions.
Using on line 2D fluorescence spectroscopy with multivariate chemometrics has been highly successful in predicting overall quality of refined sugar.
Refined sugar is very pure with impurities present at less than 1%, the source of which tend to be raw materials.
However the highly sensitive and selective technique of 2D fluorescence spectroscopy can be harnessed to measure the low level native fluorescence generated by natural and process combinations to produce a multivariate fluorescent fingerprint of the manufacturing process.
