This Week’s Spectroscopy News
Plucking pathogens from the air, metabolite fingerprinting of cortical areas, and rapid detection of drug abuse via tear analysis
James Strachan | | 3 min read | News
In the news
Researchers combine open-set deep learning with single-cell Raman spectroscopy to identify pathogens in real-world air containing diverse unknown indigenous bacteria – accurately identifying single or multiple pathogens simultaneously within an hour. Link
Upgraded proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy pipeline reliably quantifies 19 distinct metabolites in a volume as small as 0.7 μL in the mouse brain, demonstrating potential for detailed in vivo metabolite fingerprinting of cortical areas and subareas. Link
Review: ultrafast nano-spectroscopy and nano-imaging with tip-based microscopy have greatly advanced our understanding of physical mechanisms, enabling the direct observation of dynamic processes at the atomic scale. Link
FTIR spectroscopy can, via detection of fatty acids, histidine, lipid esters, nucleic acids, and tryptophan, distinguish between healthy and diseased dental implants with 81 percent accuracy. Link
Ephedrine detected in tears using drop coating deposition-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy combined with machine learning with 90 percent accuracy. The approach “offers significant potential for law enforcement by being easily accessible, non-invasive and ethically appropriate for examinees.” Link
“Raman spectroscopy has demonstrated significant potential in providing precise and rapid diagnostic approaches for clinical use in the context of urinary system diseases,” say review authors. “Its ability to analyze biomolecules non-invasively positions it as an increasingly important tool in the early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of these conditions.” Link
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Community Corner
Remembering Friedrich Menges
I was sad to learn that Friedrich Menges, a developer of optical spectroscopy software, passed away in December, aged 50.
Menges, a self-described “spectroscopy ninja,” was well known for his free-to-use SpectraGryph software for UV-VIS, NIR, FTIR, Raman, fluorescence, LIBS, XRF data.
“You don't often meet people with his knowledge, his sharp thinking and his great humanity,” said Peter Karp on LinkedIn.
“The spectroscopy community has lost one of their most brilliant and kindest software developers,” said Jasmina Wiemann on X. “I will remember him as a relentless supporter and facilitator of creative work in spectroscopy!”
Menges was diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2024.
Essential Reading
Quartz Control
A new approach to trace gas detection, known as coherently controlled quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (COCO-QEPAS), allows for the identification of gas concentrations in seconds – overcoming limitations of traditional photoacoustic methods. The technique, developed by researchers at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, could become a fast and more versatile tool for environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and industrial safety applications.
Lead author Simon Angstenberger said: “Unlike traditional setups limited to specific gases or single absorption peaks, we can achieve real-time monitoring with a broad laser tuning range of 1.3 to 18 µm, making it capable of detecting virtually any trace gas…” Read more.
AI-Enabled Precision Food Drying
A new system integrates hyperspectral and fluorescence imaging with machine learning to enhance the precision and efficiency of food drying processes. During experiments, the researchers applied their system to dry apple slices, a common benchmark for testing food drying techniques. RGB imaging captured surface-level features, such as size, shape, and color, while near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy measured internal qualities, including moisture content. Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) provided even greater detail, scanning entire surfaces to combine spatial and spectral data for enhanced precision.
“For real-time monitoring, the convergence of RGB imaging, NIR spectroscopic sensors, and NIR-HSI with AI represents a transformative future for food drying,” the team concluded in the paper. Read more
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