Spectroscopic Studies of Chilli, Turmeric and Black Pepper

The work is an attempt to apply spectroscopic methods for the investigation of a few commonly used food items having beneficial or harmful effects on the human body. The food materials chosen for this study are chilli (Capsicum annum L.) and its seeds, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and black pepper (Piper nigrum L). The selected spectroscopic methods used here are X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), visible emission, Atomic Absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Through XRF, AAS and visible emission spectroscopy qualitative elemental analysis of the sample has been done. For qualitative structural information FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopic methods are used which provide complete information about the functional groups (bonding type between elements) of the samples. The static fluorescence method has been used for getting large scale molecular information. The objectives of the above analyses are: first, to provide a satisfactory spectroscopic characterization of the samples and secondly to substantiate popular beliefs regarding the use of the sample for medicinal and nutritional purposes.