Food Research Applications of Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy

Spectral information on multicomponent systems such as food and agroproducts includes the composition, content of each ingredient, structure of the compound, and so on. However, this information is not easy to obtain; nearly all of the spectra must be dealt with using mathematical methods before the useful information can be read. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) is an effective mathematical method with many advantages, including enhancement of spectral resolution, separation of severely overlapping bands, probing the order of the spectral intensity changes, identification of band assignments, and spectral correlation between different spectra. This method was widely used to study polymers, carbohydrates, proteins, water, and even traditional Chinese medicine. In the food research field, this method has not attracted widespread attention. In order to make full use of this method, we review the applications of 2D-COS in the food research area and hope to provide a useful reference.