Rapid authentication and evaluation of minerals in milk powder using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic (LIBS) technique.

The present work illustrates the potential application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for quick in situ authentication and evaluation of the minerals in milk powder. LIBS spectra of milk powders confirm the presence of the spectral lines of organic elements like Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), and inorganic elements/minerals like Calcium (Ca), Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), and Sodium (Na), along with the electronic bands of the CN molecule using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database. With the help of integrated intensity of the spectral lines of the various elements present in the LIBS spectra of the samples, we have compared the concentrations of minerals in different brands of milk samples. Rapid differentiation/discrimination/classification of various milk samples based on major and minor elements present in milk powder was performed using a Chemometric technique such as Principal component analysis (PCA). We have applied partial least square regression (PLSR) of the different vibronic bands of the CN molecule to estimate the concentration of protein level in milk samples. Further, the presence of the organic molecules/compounds in milk samples was confirmed by their functional group present in the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and by the absorption peaks/bands present in UV–visible spectra of the milk samples. Biochemical analysis was used to estimate and compare the protein level in the milk samples. The results of the present work reveal the potential of LIBS for quick, real time, cost effective, easy-to-operate, and high sampling rates analysis of any edible products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]