This tutorial introduces how NIR spectroscopy works for honey analysis, explores practical workflows, discusses real-world applications, and outlines best practices for implementing this technique in food labs.

A new bibliometric study published in Infrared Physics & Technology highlights the growing global impact of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in biofuel research, revealing key trends, contributors, and future directions for advancing sustainable energy solutions.

Top articles published this week include a feature article about big pharma’s investments in U.S.-based manufacturing, an article about the 2025 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy Lingyan Shi, and some news items detailing the winners of the Coblentz Society’s student awards.

In a recent announcement, the Coblentz Society, an organization committed to promoting and nurturing young scientists to pursue vibrational spectroscopy, announced that Steven Quarin, a student at the University of Cincinnati, is this year’s recipient of the William G. Fateley Student Award.

A new review published in Trends in Food Science & Technology highlights how advanced spectroscopy, multidimensional chromatography, artificial intelligence (AI), and novel sensors are improving food safety by enhancing sensitivity, speed, and sustainability in contaminant detection.

A multi-billion-dollar drug manufacturing hub focused on chronic diseases will be established in Virginia, supported by new facilities across California, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Mississippi State University researchers show that mid-infrared (MIR), a.k.a. infrared (IR), portable spectrometers, combined with calibration transfer techniques, can match lab instruments for soil property analysis.

A recent study presented a simple correction method that significantly improved the accuracy of Transmission Raman Spectroscopy by mitigating spectral distortions caused by tablet thickness, porosity, and compaction force.

Growing U.S.-based drug manufacturing is creating new demands—and opportunities—for analytical chemists.

German researchers have demonstrated a portable Raman laser system that analyzes soil composition directly in agricultural fields, offering precise, real-time data for precision farming.

Researchers at INIAV in Portugal have demonstrated that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric algorithms offers a rapid, non-destructive, and accurate method for detecting harmful fumonisins in maize, enhancing food safety monitoring.

Researchers at China Agricultural University developed a rapid and accurate spectroscopic method using NIR and FT-IR combined with PLS regression to measure protein content in rice noodles, enhancing quality control for the popular river snail rice noodle (luosifen) industry.

Spectroscopy's 2025 Emerging Leader in Molecular Spectroscopy is Lingyan Shi of the University of California, San Diego. Shi’s research focuses on developing and applying molecular imaging tools, including stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), multiphoton fluorescence (MPF), fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy.

A team from the University of Cordoba demonstrated that a portable near-infrared spectral sensor can accurately assess olive oil quality, offering a practical, low-cost alternative to laboratory methods.

This study presents a new system that enables the precise detection of glucose, choline, and lactate without traditional labels or antibodies.

A recent study unveiled a new adaptive Raman spectroscopy and transformer-based model for fast, high-accuracy microbial classification.

This tutorial addresses the critical issue of analyte specificity in multivariate spectroscopy using the concept of Net Analyte Signal (NAS). NAS allows chemometricians to isolate the portion of the signal that is unique to the analyte of interest, thereby enhancing model interpretability and robustness in the presence of interfering species. While this tutorial introduces the foundational concepts for beginners, it also includes selected advanced topics to bridge toward expert-level applications and future research. The tutorial covers the mathematical foundation of NAS, its application in regression models like partial least squares (PLS), and emerging methods to optimize specificity and variable selection. Applications in pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics, and industrial process control are also discussed.

Top articles published this week include an interview about drug detection techniques with Robert Ewing of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a feature about how funding cuts are impacting analytical chemists, and a compilation of articles about how Raman spectroscopy is being used in cancer diagnostics.

A recent study presented a new, highly sensitive and eco-friendly fluorescent sensor, SU-1, which is capable of detecting ultra-low levels of cyanide in water and living cells.

Researchers at China’s National Key Laboratory have identified 170 nickel autoionization states using resonance ionization mass spectrometry, significantly advancing the spectral database critical for laser isotope separation and atomic spectroscopy.

Researchers from Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology have introduced a breakthrough AI-enhanced multimodal strategy for real-time detection of polyamide microplastics contaminated with heavy metals.

A new review article highlights the role Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy plays in characterizing nanomaterials and polymers.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) are using chromatography and spectroscopy combined to help predict wine ratings. The team investigated the relationship between chemical composition and consumer liking, using Vivino ratings as quality endpoints.

Researchers from China Agricultural University introduce PeaNet, promising rapid, accurate, and nondestructive protein analysis.

Chinese researchers have developed a cutting-edge cervical cancer diagnostic model that combines spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, CARS imaging, and artificial intelligence to achieve 100% accuracy in distinguishing healthy and cancerous tissue.

Researchers at the University of Belgrade have demonstrated that combining Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy with machine learning algorithms offers a highly accurate, non-destructive method for identifying seed varieties in lettuce, paprika, and tomato.

A compilation of articles that explore the role of Raman spectroscopy in cancer research is presented.

A new comparative study shows that scientific CMOS (sCMOS) cameras could rival traditional CCD detectors in certain Raman CARS spectroscopy applications, offering faster readout and dynamic range despite slightly higher noise levels.