Quantitative analysis of vitamin A using Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy

Near infrared Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy has been successfully used to quantitatively analyze vitamin A additives in a sorbitan mono-oleate base vehicle. Although measurements can be made on the raw materials, their high viscosity causes them to be difficult to handle in an industrial testing lab. Accurate quantitation is possible using a simple dilution of the sample. This reduces the overall measurement time by speeding up preparation and clean-up. Results are quantified over a range of 0.05 ml(-1) up to 1 mg ml(-1) using a partial least-squares analysis model. A discussion is made of factors affecting quantitative analysis using FT Raman instrumentation in an industrial environment. Application of the multiplicative scatter correction (MSG) as a pretreatment step for Raman data is discussed with reference to the partial least squares (PLS) calibration. A discussion is presented to the information imbedded in the latent PLS factors and how analysis of these factors can often add to an understanding of the chemical information being modeled.