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Although milk is considered among the most complete and nutrition-rich natural foods, the concentration of vitamins and minerals in milk can vary depending on a variety of circumstances. Stelios Couris of the University of Patras and the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (Patras, Greece) has been studying the inorganic elemental composition of a variety of milk samples using LIBS and spoke to Spectroscopy about this research.

Analysis of the Inorganic Content of Milk via Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Robert Thomas has more than 30 years of experience in trace element analysis. He is the principal of his own freelance writing and scientific consulting company, Scientific Solutions, based in Gaithersburg, MD.

The use of ICP-MS is constantly expanding into an ever-wider variety of applications. We assess the current landscape and where the technique is going in the future.

40 Years Old and Still Solving Problems: Evolution of the ICP-MS Application Landscape

An artificial neural network was combined with LIBS to provide a rapid and accurate coal-rock recognition method for unmanned coal mining.

Automatic Coal-Rock Recognition by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Combined with an Artificial Neural Network

In the past 20 years, spectrometers have shrunk dramatically in size, and this shrinking has been achieved with only modest performance reductions in sampling versatility, spectral range, spectral resolution, and signal-to-noise.

Spectrometers in Wonderland: Shrinking, Shrinking, Shrinking

Portable X-ray fluorescence was used to analyze the archaeological remains of an Underground Railroad station to gain a clearer understanding of the construction phases it underwent during the 19th century.

An Archaeometric Investigation into the Former Cataract House Hotel via Elemental Analysis

The physics and chemistry of the phenomenon have been well known for many years, and this knowledge can tell us how self-absorption can be not only “corrected,” but also tuned to our advantage in analytical applications of LIBS.

Avoiding Misunderstanding Self-Absorption in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Analysis

Noureddine Melikechi of the Department of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Massachusetts (Lowell, MA) saw an urgent need for the development of an untargeted and unbiased method to distinguish Gulf War illness (GWI) patients from non-GWI patients; he and his associates utilized laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in their efforts to meet that need.

Diagnosis of Gulf War Illness Using Laser-Induced Spectra Acquired from Blood Samples

Mohamed Abdel-Harith of Cairo University and his team explored using BRELIBS for the elemental analysis of the synagogue’s glass shards. Their findings reveal the potential of BRELIBS in conducting elemental analysis on transparent materials. Spectroscopy recently spoke to Abdel-Harith about this work.

Using Back-Reflection-Enhanced Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (BRELIBS) for the Elemental Analysis of Transparent Materials

Meat fraud has emerged as a growing concern globally. The adulteration, substitution, or mislabeling of meat products has resulted in negative economic effects, such as unfair competition in the global marketplace, as well as ethical concerns, because consumers want to know what is in the meat they are consuming. Ismail H. Boyaci of Hacettepe University and his team have explored using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for protein-based analysis and the identification of meat species. Spectroscopy recently spoke to Boyaci about this work. 

Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Protein-Based Analysis and the Identification of Meat Species

The fast data acquisition and minimal sample preparation of handheld LIBS devices make them very useful for geochemical mapping, resource prospecting, sample selection, and hazard identification.