Food additives characterization by infrared, Raman, and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopies

Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR), Raman (RS), and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of β ‐hydroxy‐ β ‐methylobutanoic acid (HMB), L ‐carnitine, and N ‐methylglycocyamine (creatine) have been measured. The SERS spectra have been taken from species adsorbed on a colloidal silver surface. The respective FT‐IR and RS band assignments (solid‐state samples) based on the literature data have been proposed. The strongest absorptions in the FT‐IR spectrum of creatine are observed at 1398, 1615, and 1699 cm −1 , which are due to ν s (COOH) + ν(CN) + δ(CN), ρ s (NH 2 ), and ν(CO) modes, respectively, whereas those of L ‐carnitine (at 1396/1586 cm −1 and 1480 cm −1 ) and HMB (at 1405/1555/1585 cm −1 and 1437–1473 cm −1 ) are associated with carboxyl and methyl/methylene group vibrations, respectively. On the other hand, the strongest bands in the RS spectrum of HMB observed at 748/1442/1462 cm −1 and 1408 cm −1 are due to methyl/methylene deformations and carboxyl group vibrations, respectively. The strongest Raman band of creatine at 831 cm −1 (ρ w (RNH 2 )) is accompanied by two weaker bands at 1054 and 1397 cm −1 due to ν(CN) + ν(RNH 2 ) and ν s (COOH) + ν(CN) + δ(CN) modes, respectively. In the case of L ‐carnitine, its RS spectrum is dominated by bands at 772 and 1461 cm −1 assigned to ρ r (CH 2 ) and δ(CH 3 ), respectively. The analysis of the SERS spectra shows that HMB interacts with the silver surface mainly through the COO − , hydroxyl, and CH 2 groups, whereas L ‐carnitine binds to the surface via COO − and N + (CH 3 ) 3 which is rarely enhanced at pH = 8.3. On the other hand, it seems that creatine binds weakly to the silver surface mainly by NH 2 , and CO from the COO − group. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.