• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.170-189
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• 2017

Purpose: This paper presents Raman chemical imaging technology for inspecting food and agricultural products. Methods The paper puts emphasis on introducing and demonstrating Raman imaging techniques for practical uses in food analysis. Results & Conclusions: The main topics include Raman scattering principles, Raman spectroscopy measurement techniques (e.g., backscattering Raman spectroscopy, transmission Raman spectroscopy, and spatially offset Raman spectroscopy), Raman image acquisition methods (i.e., point-scan, line-scan, and area-scan methods), Raman imaging instruments (e.g., excitation sources, wavelength separation devices, detectors, imaging systems, and calibration methods), and Raman image processing and analysis techniques (e.g., fluorescence correction, mixture analysis, target identification, spatial mapping, and quantitative analysis). Raman chemical imaging applications for food safety and quality evaluation are also reviewed.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.394-400
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• 2018

Purpose: This research evaluated five types of nanoparticles to develop a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method for the rapid detection of two Bacillus species (Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis) that are commonly found on fresh produce, which can cause food poisoning. Methods: Bacterial concentrations were adjusted to a constant turbidity, and a total of $30{\mu}L$ of each Bacillus cell suspension was prepared for each nanoparticle. A point-scan Raman system with laser light source of wavelength 785 nm was used to obtain SERS data. Results: There was no qualitative difference in the SERS data of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis for any of the five nanoparticles. Three gold nanoparticles, stabilized in either citrate buffer or ethanol, showed subtle differences in Raman intensities of two Bacillus species at $877.7cm^{-1}$. Conclusions: Among the three types of nanoparticles, the gold nanoparticles stabilized in citrate buffer showed the lowest standard deviation, followed by gold nanoparticles stabilized in ethanol. This result supports the potential application of gold nanoparticles for SERS-based detection of B. cereus and B. thuringiensis.