A Quantitative Study of Carmine Aqueous Solution Based on Drop-Coating Deposition Micro-Raman Spectroscopy (DCDR)

Abstract

Carmine is a kind of colorant which is widely used in food, beverage, medicine, cosmetics and tobacco industry. However, excessive use of carmine may lead to the risks of carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic, which seriously threaten the health and safety of consumers. In this paper, DCDR technology is utilized to develop a quantitative method for the detection of carmine, which requires only a small volume deposition of analyte solution (several μL) on a suitable hydrophobic substrate. The conventional Raman spectrum of carmine aqueous solution and corresponding Raman spectrum using DCDR method were compared, illustrating a much higher sensitivity for DCDR method. The Raman spectra of carmine aqueous solution with different concentrations of 100, 50, 10, 8, 4 and 2μg/mL are acquired from the spots on the “coffee-ring” with DCDR method. Using DCDR method, a good linear relationship has been observed between the intensities of the two characteristic peaks, 1364cm−1 as well as 1572cm−1, and the concentrations of the solution, with the linear correlation coefficient of R2>0.99. The results illustrate that DCDR method has a good potential in the quantitative analysis of colorant like carmine, providing a promising technique for a rapid detection for food additives.