Inspecting water quality with Raman spectroscopy

24-Apr-2013 - Netherlands

Scientists in the Netherlands have developed and tested a new method that uses Raman spectroscopy to identify harmful bacteria in drinking water.

Water quality checks are extremely important for the health of consumers. Many of the current methods used to test water quality rely on selective plating and enzyme activity tests. The problem with these methods is the large time periods between sampling and results.

Raman spectroscopy delivers results quickly, does not require a highly skilled operator and no additional chemicals need to be added.  A Raman spectrum gathered from a particular microorganism is unique, combining the spectra of all the molecules making up that microorganism.

The team looked at water containing Escherichia coli and Legionella and showed that their method was powerful enough to discriminate between different strains of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria, under different environmental conditions, for these organisms.

Original publication

Other news from the department science

Most read news

More news from our other portals

Fighting cancer: latest developments and advances

See the theme worlds for related content

Topic World Spectroscopy

Investigation with spectroscopy gives us unique insights into the composition and structure of materials. From UV-Vis spectroscopy to infrared and Raman spectroscopy to fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopy, spectroscopy offers us a wide range of analytical techniques to precisely characterize substances. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of spectroscopy!

15+ products
10+ whitepaper
15+ brochures
View topic world

Topic World Spectroscopy

Investigation with spectroscopy gives us unique insights into the composition and structure of materials. From UV-Vis spectroscopy to infrared and Raman spectroscopy to fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopy, spectroscopy offers us a wide range of analytical techniques to precisely characterize substances. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of spectroscopy!

15+ products
10+ whitepaper
15+ brochures