Raman microscopy and spectroscopy of microencapsulated edible oils.

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POS Bio-Sciences (POS), a Canadian agricultural biotechnology and food processing company, has developedand marketed a series of microencapsulated omega-3 oil powders. Encapsulated edible oils are increasinglypopular in the nutraceutical and food industry because of their improved shelf-life and ease of handling incomparison with liquid oils. However, POS has encountered some difficulties in quality assessment in theseproducts, including determining the amount of oil that deposits on the surface of the microcapsules, assessingthe amount of oil loading in the microcapsules and measuring the extent of oil oxidation as a function ofprocessing conditions and aging. At present, there is no known method for assessing quantities of surface oiland existing assays for determining loading and oxidation are insensitive, time consuming and generatesignificant amounts of hazardous chemical waste. The goal of this project is to solve these analytical chemistryproblems by using Raman microspectroscopy, a modern analytical spectroscopy method. The project is acollaboration between the research group of Paige, who has expertise in optical spectroscopy and surfacechemistry, and POS, the producer of the encapsulated oils. The proponents ultimately envision thedevelopment of an easy-to-use spectroscopic assay that will allow POS to carry out microencapsulated oilsample evaluation at any point in their manufacturing process in an efficient, accurate and inexpensive way.