Water revealed as molecular mirror when measuring low concentrations of sugar with near infrared light (PONE-D-14-41033R1)

NIR spectra of aqueous solutions of individaul sugars and sugar mixes. PONE-D-14-41033R1 Near infrared spectroscopy is an overtone spectroscopy regarded as a quick and non-destructive method that provides analytical solutions for components that represent approximately 1 % or more of the total mass of the investigated composite samples. Aquaphotomics offers the possibility for disentanglement of information remaining hidden in the spectra when conventional data evaluation methods are used, since this concept describes induced changes of water structure in aqueous solutions as molecular vibrations at specific water wavelength bands. Here, near infrared technique and aquaphotomics are applied for non-destructive identification and quantification of mono- and di-saccharide solutes at 100-0.1 millimolar concentration that is accepted as unachievable with near infrared spectroscopy. The results presented in this study support the extended water mirror concept that explores spectral changes related to water molecular rearrangements in the solution caused by minute changes of the solutes in the aqueous systems. The method may provide a quick and accurate alternative for classical analytical measurements of saccharides even at millimolar concentration levels.