ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the vibrational spectroscopic techniques of infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy, including the variant of the latter which exploits the local electric field enhancement in the region of optically excited nanostructured metal surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Developments in technology post-World War II helped significantly for the establishment of IR spectroscopy as a laboratory technique, but none was more than the advancement of commercial Fourier Transform IR (FTIR) spectrometers in the 1960s and 1970s and FTIR microscopes in the late 1980s. Fats and oils are an integral part of our food, and FTIR has vast applications for the analysis of edible oils and fats. Dairy products are extensively consumed as they contain numerous ingredients which are required not only for good health but also for strengthening of bones and regulating various body processes. FTIR spectroscopy provides an easy way to determine caffeine concentration in the beverages.
