An experimental study is presented on the possibility of using the fluorescence from organic dyes as a broadband light source together with a monochromator for applications in excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. A high-power single-chip light-emitting diode (LED) was chosen as an excitation source with a central output wavelength at 365 nm to excite a fluorescent solution of Coumarin 1 dye dissolved in ethanol. Two excitation configurations were investigated: direct excitation from the LED and excitation through an optical-fiber-coupled LED. A Czerny-Turner monochromator with a diffraction grating was used for the spectral tuning of the fluorescence. A simple method was investigated for increasing the efficiency of the excitation as well as the fluorescence signal collection by using a diffuse reflector composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). As research objects, extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), Coumarin 6 dye, and Perylene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), were used. The results showed that the light-emitting-diode-induced fluorescence was sufficient to cover the losses on the optical path to the monochromator output, where a detectable signal could be obtained. The obtained results reveal the practical possibility of applying the fluorescence from dyes as a light source for food system analysis by EEM fluorescence spectroscopy.
Keywords: Czerny–Turner monochromator; EVOO; LED-induced fluorescence; barium sulfate; broadband light source; diffuse reflector; optical fibers; organic dyes; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; polyvinyl alcohol.