The use of NIR Fluorimetry with photographic data acquisition in the fingerprinting method with the addition of fluorophores to the samples: discrimination of apple juices

The application of dyes, that fluoresce in the near infrared (NIR, 700-800 nm) region, for the recognition of samples using a fingerprinting method with the addition of fluorophores to the samples (“fluorescent eye”) is proposed. The technique has been successfully applied to the classification of samples of various nature. In the current work, this strategy has been tested on the example of discrimination of 17 samples of apple juice from different manufacturers, purchased at different times. An indolenine series heptamethine carbocyanine dye in the presence of surfactants was used as the added fluorophore, red LEDs were used as an excitation source, and the signal was recorded using a digital camera with an additional IR filter installed; a spectrofluorimeter with a 96-well plate accessory was used to record the spectra. Photographic images were processed using Unscrambler X and Excel software. The results were presented using the following coordinates: intensity of NIR fluorescence - intensity of visible light reflection (using the photographic images). It was found that such presentation allowed the samples to be divided into groups associated with the manufacturer. We have also obtained intrinsic fluorescence spectra, including those with the addition of NIR dye, and these results were processed by the principal component analysis. It was possible to distinguish 5–6 groups of samples by their intrinsic emission, not counting the blank, while the spectra with the addition of the dye allowed to isolate the largest number of groups of samples (9). At the same time, the classification using spectra did not allow juices to be grouped by the producer. Also, obtaining photographs using a visualizer was easier and faster than recording the fluorescence spectra. The joint processing of emission spectra and photographs did not improve the quality of discrimination.