Cristina Coman

By Cristina Coman and Loredana Florina Leopold

Raman mapping is a noninvasive, label‐free technique with high chemical specificity and high potential to become a leading method in biological and biomedical applications. As opposed to Raman spectroscopy, which provides discrete chemical information at distinct positions within the sample, Raman mapping provides chemical information coupled with spatial information. The laser spot scans the investigated sample area with a preset step size and acquires Raman spectra pixel by pixel. The Raman spectra are then discriminated from each other by chemometric analysis, and the end result is a false color map, an image of the sample that contains highly precise structural and chemical information. Raman imaging has been successfully used for label‐free investigations at cellular and subcellular level. Cell compartments, cell responses to drugs and different stages of the cell cycle from the stem cell to the completely differentiated cell were successfully distinguished. This technique is also able to differentiate between healthy and cancer cells, indicating great potential for replacing conventional cancer detection tools with Raman detection in the future.

Part of the book: Raman Spectroscopy and Applications

By Cristina Coman

Nanostructured colloids are materials with at least one dimension in the nanometer range (<100 nm). Such materials find multiple and exciting applications in various areas of food science, and can lead to development of new and innovative food products and ingredients. Nanostructured colloids can be naturally present in food or they can be synthetically manufactured and added during different stages of food production and packaging. The building blocks of nanostructures in food consist of organic molecules (proteins, lipids, saccharides), inorganics (metal and metal oxides, carbon-based materials, clays) and combined organic and inorganic compounds. Some examples of nanostructured colloids naturally occurring in food include fat globules in homogenized milk, casein micelles, β-lactoglobulin fibers in milk. Synthetically manufactured colloids (artificial and engineered) include nanoemulsions, nanomicelles, nanocapsules, nanofoams, nanoliposomes, nanogels, nanofibers, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles. Synthetically manufactured nanostructures are normally added in food to enhance solubility, improve bioavailability, protect the biologically active compounds from degradation, increase the shelf life, color, flavor, and add nutritional value. Exciting fields of applications of nanostructured colloids in food science comprise: functional food ingredients, food additives, food supplements, food packaging and nanosensors.

Part of the book: Some New Aspects of Colloidal Systems in Foods