Vibrational Spectroscopic Applications of Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy in Biochemistry and Microbiology

Abstract

Vibrational spectroscopy has a number of applications due to its high sensitivity and selectivity, including the distinction of isotopomers, making it a powerful analytical technique. Unlike typical chromatographic methods that require sampling, vibrational spectroscopic methods give in situ data acquisition in a closed system, with high time resolution. These advantages make vibrational spectroscopy suitable for monitoring rapidly developing biological processes. A number of applications of both infrared and Raman spectroscopies are presented in this thesis, including the monitoring of metabolites produced and consumed by microbiological cultures and volatiles released during fruit ripening.